


6 Bullets

by taehyungiejiminie95



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Angst, Blood, Death, Deception, F/M, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope is Crazy, M/M, Mafia AU, Major Character Injury, Minor Character Death, Sexual Harrassment, Swearing, Violence, lots of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 13:29:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 46,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15864579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taehyungiejiminie95/pseuds/taehyungiejiminie95
Summary: (Cross-posted from my tumblr)You come home after 5 years in America, but what you find is not what you expect.





	1. Chapter 1

My hand hits the desk in anger and even the biggest of the new recruits jumps back in fear. I can feel my lips curl back into a snarl and I have to physically make it stop. Looking over the small line, I realise how screwed I am. My sister is getting here in 3 days and they’re just not ready. If I’d had even a month - no, two weeks! - more notice, I could’ve done better. I could’ve found a different house to say I lived in, I could’ve hired better men and I could’ve finished the deal before she got here. I can’t do that all in the same day. My hands are tied and I don’t have a choice. I dismiss the men in the line and tell them all to leave but one. I beckon a raven-haired man forward and sit on the side of my desk that’s closer to him,

“Jeon, right?” I ask. It may be a little cold but I’m at my wit’s end here and I don’t have the patience for formalities. In my head I can hear the seconds ticking by, every moment closer to throwing her into this mess. I never wanted this. Especially when I was so close to leaving. The recruit nods to indicate my correct naming of him and I crack a smile. I can practically read the wariness in his eyes. That’s good. He should always be on alert,

“You’re in. I need to call two more men, and briefing is in three hours. Understood?” I state a little blunter than necessary. But does it really matter? He needs to understand that this isn’t a game and he’s not here to make friends. He’s here for a reason. With that statement I dismiss him with a wave of my hand and tell him to send the other 5 recruits home. They’re useless anyway. The man - I must remind myself of his first name soon - turns on his heel and walks away quickly, obviously hiding some sense of pride. How little he knows. This lifestyle is nothing to be proud of. I sigh as I pick up the phone on my desk and tap in a number I’ve had memorised for ages. They pick up in 3 rings like always and answer with the same greeting they’ve been using since I met them,

“Kim Namjoon speaking. What’s the problem?” His gravelly voice comes down the phone like a wave of relief and I can feel the tension flood out of my body almost instantly,

“It’s Seokjin. I need you and Jimin. Can you be here in three hours?”

“Yes.” Is all I hear before the line goes dead. I stand up from my desk and straighten my shirt. I should’ve called them first rather than messing around with new recruits. 3 days is more than enough to train up Jeon if I have Namjoon and Jimin. She’ll be safe in the hands of our old business partners and - more importantly - our friends.

 

You take a deep breath in as you step off of the plane, and onto the floor of the airport. You’re finally back. After 5 years of living in America, you’d finally managed to convince your auntie to let you come home. The second she gave the okay, you set about getting yourself ready. That was 5 days ago. Sure, your brother Seokjin didn’t sound best pleased by your announcement that came with no warning, but you just knew that he’d be glad to have you back. He’d sent you away 5 years ago, and you’d barely had any contact. If you were totally honest, you harboured a little resentment over that, but you understood why. It was your parent’s death. It screwed him up badly and even if he acted like it didn’t matter, you knew it did. He was the one who had found them shot to bits.

But that didn’t matter. You’re here to reconnect with your brother, not get hung up on the past. You turn your phone on and smile at the text that comes in immediately - it’s from Namjoon. He’d kept quite regular contact with you, and he’s really the big brother that Jin isn’t. It’s not that Jin doesn’t care, it’s just that he’s a hard worker - at least, that’s what Namjoon always told you when you asked after him. But Namjoon never told you what Jin was working hard at. He just breezed over the question in the way only Namjoon can, telling you that it’s just the ‘family business’ and ‘nothing to worry about’. Quite frankly, you never really took an interest until Jin actually instigated contact for the first time in ages, asking if you could push off coming home until he’s finalised a few deals. ‘Only a few days’ he had said. It seemed reasonable enough, but you didn’t see the problem. But again, it doesn’t matter. You’re here now, and you’re going to find Jin once you find the person sent to drive you home.

“HEY!!” You hear, followed by a heavy form crashing into you clumsily, “I missed you!” The form yells, picking you up into strong arms and hugging you tight. You struggle for breath and find yourself in a bit of a panic until you look down into the smiling eyes gazing up at you - Namjoon. He puts you down as he grins, dimples dazzling any person looking over at the two of you. He’s changed a lot since you last saw him. For one, he’s taller now and a lot broader. His arms look toned and muscular from what you can see under his white shirt. He’s wearing what you’d call business casual - formal trousers and shoes with a white shirt, but undone partway with the sleeves rolled up neatly - and he’s already holding your luggage in the hand he hadn’t used to pick you up. He’d also dyed his hair. Last time you saw him, he’d looked a little nerdy. His hair was usually stuck flat against his forehead but it was now platinum blond and shaved at the sides, styled up in wave. Your eyes take in the man before you and you barely recognise him as the person you consider your older brother.

“I missed you too, Joonie,” You reply sweetly, leaning up to wrap your hands around his neck, “Could Jin not make it?” You add after a bit of thought, trying to swallow the lump in your throat when Namjoon launches into what sounds like a very rehearsed excuse about a busy schedule. Busy schedule your ass! You’re his little sister, and he hasn’t seen you in years! You can feel your bottom lip quiver and you try to excuse yourself to the bathroom for a moment, but Namjoon frowns slightly and objects,

“I’d feel better if you went with someone. You never know what could happen to you in a huge place like this. There’s all kinds of weirdos wandering around. Jin sent me and a new worker he recently hired. Will you please let him wait outside?” Namjoon pleads, the red shade of embarrassment creeping up his neck at even the prospect of offering you an escort to the toilet. You don’t say anything in response, just nodding your head before trudging off to the bathroom. Waiting around for an escort will only make you feel worse, so you head straight in. Does Jin really care so little that he’ll just send a new worker to come pick you up? Someone he’s probably not even learned the name of. You look at yourself in the mirror over the sink and sigh. The bags under your eyes are showing and you look a little pale, but it’ll have to do. Blinking back tears, you exit the bathroom hastily, only to crash into who you assume to be your escort.

“Sorry,” You mutter, slowly bringing your eyes up his body and to his face. He’s quite tall - probably the same height as Namjoon - and he’s wearing what you guess to be all leather, down to his face mask. His shoulders are quiet broad and his hair and eyes are as dark as each other. He has a gentle kind of face, but the kind that seems just a little too old for him. The boy (you don’t want to say man because he looks only about your age) shakes his head slightly in response and offers you his arm. You smile thinly and take it nervously, wondering where someone would pick up on such an old- fashioned gesture nowadays. You’re guided back to Namjoon quickly, where you let go of the boy’s arm and walk with Namjoon. Unsettled doesn’t even begin to describe how you’re feeling. First, Jin won’t tell you what he does for a living. Now, he’s sending some shady guy to pick you up from the airport. You don’t know what’s coming next, but you aren’t excited for it.

 

Namjoon sits in the back of the black 4x4 as the other boy drives. He neglected to share his name, and Namjoon refuses to, insisting that Jin will give introductions when you get back to the house. You spend the two hour journey catching up with Namjoon, telling him everything that had happened since you last spoke with him a few weeks ago. He listens well, but you can tell that he’s a little distracted by the way he looks out of the back window every few minutes. By now, you know better than to question him, and assume that he’s just a little jumpy.

You can see the house you’re heading to from quite a way back. Your father was a business man, and amassed quite the empire over the years. When his estate was handed over to Jin, you learned that he kept a huge mansion, and Jin told you that’s where he would train new employees, so he could be sure they’d do their jobs right. You were told it was a big place, but you never realised it was so grand. You enter through large security gates, manned by several men dressed in black body armour, and find yourself greeted quite warmly by people you had never met before - although Namjoon doesn’t seem so fond of this and promptly rolls up the tinted windows up when one of them leans in to talk to you. His jaw clenches as the unnamed man drives slowly up the straight gravel path. The grass either side of stretches for a long time, and it’s all neatly trimmed and emerald green. As you get closer to the large building, you see small groups of people dotted around, all dressed in grey sweatpants and black tank tops. Some are just sitting and talking, some are running and some are doing push ups, but the large majority are walking towards a grey concrete housing unit (well, what you assume to be a housing unit) that’s smaller than the mansion, yet still much larger than a normal house.

You find yourself gawking up at the main attraction of the landscape as the car pulls to a halt, and almost miss Namjoon’s voice telling you to wait in the car for a moment - but you do see him jog up to the front door, knock three times and step back to wait for a response. Your eyes wander across the space in front of the mansion. It’s largely gravelled, but it has some outdoor seating and a grand fountain about 50 metres from where Namjoon’s stood. It must be 10 metres wide at least, and the clear water shoots up from the hand of a golden statue. You can’t quite make out what it is exactly from where you are, but it looks to resemble some sort of animal,

“I don’t know what the fountain’s statue is supposed to be either,” You hear, and jump in your seat as you turn around to see the nameless man watching you in the rear view mirror. His eyes seem to dance under your gaze, almost like he’s smiling under his mask, “But I suggest you ask Mr. Kim. He’s been around longer than me,” He adds with a shrug. You snort as you turn back around to look out of the window. Namjoon’s walking back towards the car, with a shorter man in tow. This new man stops about a few metres short of the car, but Namjoon walks right up and opens your door for you, offering you his hand so that you can climb out as gracefully as possible. You thank him with a smile as you go to grab your bags, but Namjoon stops you with a tap on your arm,

“Don’t be silly, I’ll get your stuff. Go see that man - he’s missed you,” Namjoon tells you, his dimples on full show as he turns to go to the back of the car. You walk over to where the man has stopped, a little cautious as you’re not sure who it is. As you get closer, a wide smile spreads across your face and you run towards the figure, who has his arms out for you already,

“Jimin!” You yell as you jump into his arms, feeling the man who was as much of a brother to you as Namjoon was when you were growing up wrap his arms around you as he laughs. You wrinkle your nose when you realise that he still wears that God-awful cologne that you hate. It makes him smell like an old person,

“Hey, short stuff,” Jimin teases, setting you down as you smack his chest, wishing you were taller than him, “Jin’s waiting for you in the main office, but he’s going to need a minute. He suggested I show you to your room. Is that okay?” He asks, smiling widely and offering you his arm when you nod. Jimin guides you through the huge oak doors and into a large hallway space. It’s a little empty, but Jimin explains that neither Jin nor your father ever saw much point in decorating the ground floor of the mansion. It’s just a training area, so why bother making it pretty when it could just end up broken? You saw your father’s old logic in that, so nodded in understanding as Jimin led you up three flights of stairs, to what he called the ‘bedroom floor’. He goes on to explain that everything is kitted out for weekend training courses in the other building you saw, but these rooms are for the higher ranking employees. Jimin also tells you that Jin had a room renovated entirely in just one day to prepare it for you. You’re not given long to look around, because Jimin tells you that he wants to get you to Jin’s office at 4 o’clock precisely, like he was asked to.

You have just enough time to look over the silk bedsheets and velvet curtains before Jimin’s pulling you out again. Holding onto his arm like before, you walk up the next flight of stairs and Jimin tells you to wait on the top step while he speaks to a man dressed in a nice suit in hushed tones. You’re looking over a painting hung beside you, but you suddenly hear a panicked curse word fall from Jimin’s lips, and suddenly he’s got a vice-like grip on your arm and he’s tugging you back down the stairs,

“Jin’s not ready, my watch is off by 2 minutes. We need to go back to your room,” Jimin tells you hurriedly, nearly running as he tugs your reluctant body back down the stairs. He huffs slightly and goes to pick you up, but then stiffens. The man in the suit had been stood in front of a large white door with a fingerprint lock where a door handle should have been, and that door just opened. Jimin’s fingers tighten impossibly on your arm and you whimper, trying to get away. But Jimin isn’t having any of it. You see his jaw clench and his biceps ripple as he nearly shoves you down the last few steps. He has his hand on a closest door handle when a chilling voice speaks from the top of the staircase you had just descended,

“Woah there, why don’t you let the pretty lady say hey?” The voice says, followed by a hollow laugh that sends shivers straight down your spine. You’re frozen in place, but Jimin springs into action, pushing you behind him as he stands up a little straighter. For once, you’re glad he’s taller. You don’t know why, but something in that voice screams danger, and you don’t really want to find out if you’re right. He sounds manic. Like the over-exaggerated villains in the sci-fi shows you used to watch when you were little, but more real. More terrifying,

“She’s a little shy,” Jimin nearly growls back, and your eyes widen in shock. You’ve never heard Jimin so aggressive in your life. He’d cuddled with you every night for three weeks after you lost your parents. It’s hard to believe the man who held you as you both sobbed was the same one standing in between you and the new person now. For a few moments, nobody says anything. You nearly think the man’s gone, but when you peer out from behind Jimin, you realise he’s not. You’re met with dark eyes that seem to stare right through you, so dark they’re nearly black, and containing no warmth whatsoever. The man has dark brown hair that’s parted to the side, and he’s dressed in all white, save for a black bandana around his neck, which he pulls up to cover his face once he shoots you a smile that’s all teeth, no happiness. He beckons to the two men flanking him and barges past Jimin, who barely moves. The man doesn’t turn back as he walks away, but says loud enough to be heard through his bandana,

“Remember this sweetheart, we never forget faces,”

 

You jump slightly in your seat as you hear your brother’s angry voice from down the hall. Once that man had left, Jimin had taken you straight through the security door, and told you stay put. Namjoon had come in shortly after, but hadn’t even spared you a smile as he hurried into what you assume is the ‘main office’. The person by the door - the man in the suit, as he is now aptly named in your mind - had followed Namjoon’s route a few minutes later. So far, no one has come out, and you’re sat impatiently where Jimin left you. You can’t hear any individual words, but Jin doesn’t sound happy. If you weren’t so shaken from earlier, you’d be pressing your ear against the door right now. But the way that man had scared you with just a few words was so new to you, and you don’t know how to react. The way Jimin had defended you had thrown you off, as well. What kind of business is your brother running?

You’re playing with your fingers as the man in the suit comes out of the main office. He stops in front of you, murmuring that you can go in now. You then stand up nervously, legs shaking as you step towards the door you’d seen Namjoon and Jimin enter. Part of you is scared about the happenings of that day, but part of you is just scared to see your brother. It’s been so long, but you know you won’t have time for the family reunion you’d wanted. You have too many questions.

The room you enter is very large. The back of it is a taken up by a glass window, and the flooring is a luxurious white carpet that extends half a metre up the wall before changing to a beige wall paper that compliments the simple colours of the room. A black leather couch sits against the length of the left-most wall, and is opposite a large cabinet. The first quarter is glass, and filled with books and various other ornaments, but the rest of it is opaque, the right-most part seeming to be locked like the door that the man in the suit had been standing in front of. Your eyes gradually move to the large desk at the back of the room, which is covered in large stacks of paperwork, and has a large PC on it, with three screens. Sat against the desk is who you assume is your brother - although you barely recognise him. He’s grown up a lot in the last 5 years, and he’s dressed in a fine suit, hands in his pockets as he watches you closely. When your eyes meet, he stands up awkwardly and clears his throat,

“Welcome home?” Jin says, posing it almost as a question due to his uncertainty of the situation. Even though you want nothing more than to run into your brother and hug him and catch up for the last 5 years you missed out on, it’s clear that’s not going to happen. Instead, you feel 5 years of resentment build up, and it doubles when you look at the two men who had spoken to you more than your actual brother in that time. Your eyes fill with tears as you turn to Jin, and nearly spit your words,

“That’s all you have to say after 5 years? Welcome home? Kim Seokjin, those two men there have spoken to me at least once a month since I left. Where have you been? Also, why don’t I know anything? Why can’t they tell me what you do here? And who was that man in the hallway who saw me? Why are you hiding everything from me?!” You scream, no longer able to hold it in. You hear Jimin whistle lowly and tug at Namjoon’s arms, gesturing to the door. They both move to leave, but Namjoon pauses at the door, turning back to Jin, who’s face is burning with embarrassment,

“I suggest you come clean. You may not have seen what’s hidden there, but I do. She’d be good in discipline. Better than Jimin. Tell here everything,” Namjoon says. You turn around to address the seemingly cryptic message, but the door clicks shut and you’re left alone with Jin. Your brother, who now only feels like a stranger. Your jaw clenches as you turn back around, crossing your arms as you wait for his answer. Jin sighs and stands up, rubbing his hands over his face. He walks slowly to the large cabinet, opening the first of the opaque doors. You walk closer and see a series of pictures. They’re all of your mother or your father, shaking hands with various people, or in front of different buildings. You smile fondly to yourself as you remember how you travelled a lot,

“Dad started a business some 15 years before I was born. It was an innocent business, just a coffee shop. He made the best coffee in town, and things went well for about 5 years. But one day, our mother walked in and changed that. They fell in love before they realised what could happen as a result,” Jin starts, and you let your eyes pass over one of the oldest pictures there. Your parents loved to tell the story of how they met. You can feel yourself start to choke up the way you do anytime you think about them being gone,

“That’s them there, right? They look so young and happy,” You note, pointing to the picture that you were looking at. Jin smiles and nods, pulling it down to take a closer look. His smile drops as he continues,

“It turns out that mum was running from some murder charges a few countries away. She was running, but she somehow got caught up with dad. They fell in love, and she got pregnant. Then the cops came. Dad wouldn’t let her go, so he made some deals and offered a few favours. 3 months later, he wakes up and realises that he’s in the mafia,” Jin tells you. He doesn’t even look at you as he tears down your views of your parents,

“Mum wasn’t a murderer,” You tell Jin firmly, hating that he’s saying these things. Your voice is rough from unshed tears and anger simmering just below the surface. Under that is raw pain, and the shock that comes with being told things like that. Even as you say it, you know it’s pointless. Jin’s eyes shine with tears, but he sounds almost robotic as he continues,

“So the story goes from there. Dad’s in the mafia to protect mum, and then he’s in it to protect me. Then you. He was a great father, but an even better leader, as I’ve come to learn. The night we lost them…” Jin pauses, face turning away from you even more. His voice shakes as he continues, “The night we lost them, it wasn’t a freak shooting like I told you. They were killed. Dad had become too big and too dangerous, so a rival gang took the lives of him and his beloved wife,” Jin’s voice trails out here, and you can’t help but notice how his shoulders shake,

“It’s okay, Jin. I miss them too,” You whisper, scared that if you spoke any louder, it would betray your tears. Reliving your parent’s death like this is painful, stabbing your heart in a dull mockery of how you felt when it first happened. You never knew how much Jin had on his shoulders until he told you this,

“I sent you out of the country so the same thing wouldn’t happen to you. There was a note left on one of the tables, and it said that we were next on the list. Since then, I’ve been working hard to take out the bastards responsible,” Jin finishes, with a strong tone. You’ve always admired how quickly he’s able to get a hold of himself. He opens the next door, and reveals to you a mess of photos, maps and drawings all pinned onto a cork board like in crime shows where there’s an old case that hasn’t been solved,

“What the fuck?” You whisper, stumbling back as you take it all in. Your brother must be crazy. That’s the only possible explanation in your head as you try to wrap your brain around all the information coming at you. You decide that you don’t want to believe this at all, no matter how much sense it makes deep down. You almost try to run out of the door before Jin’s gathering you up into an awkward kind of hug. There’s a sneaking suspicion in your mind that maybe this hug isn’t just for you,

“Please, just calm down. I can explain more later. But for now, I need to meet with some staff. The other man who picked you up from the airport will escort you to your room after I introduce you, and he will wait with you,” Jin pulls back and moves over to the desk, picking up the phone and speaking into it for a moment. You sigh as you see Jin’s emotional walls go back up. You thought that maybe you’d finally get to talk about things, but the hope is beaten down as quickly as it blooms.

About 10 seconds pass before the door opens, and the boy from earlier steps in and walks up to Jin, shaking his hand firmly,

“This is Jeon Jungkook. He’s a new recruit, but he’s very able. He’ll protect you for now. Don’t ask him questions. The man who you saw was Jung Hoseok. I can explain his role in all of this after briefing my staff. I may be a while, but we’ll talk over dinner. Jeon, take her to her room,” Jin states, barely looking at you as he types on his computer, dismissing you with a wave of his hand. The boy - Jungkook, apparently - offers you his arm again, but you scoff, ego wounded by Jin’s sudden business-like treatment of you.  You stomp out of the room angrily, glaring at the line of men waiting outside the room.

 

Once you reach your room, you lay on the bed and stare at the ceiling, thoroughly annoyed. You hear the door click shut but pay ‘Jungkook’ no attention until he sits on the edge of your bed. At this, you sit up and stare at him in shock,

“What are you doing on my bed? There’s a perfectly good couch over there for you to use,” You inform him, rolling your eyes at his rude assumption that he’d be welcome on your bed. Jungkook stands up and looks at you with one eyebrow raised. You roll your eyes again and point at the white couch in the far corner, like he didn’t understand what you said. His expression suddenly changes, looking at you like a wounded puppy, before grinning,

“I don’t think so. Your brother may be the Big Boss, but I’m protecting you. I deem it necessary to be within 5 feet of you at all time,” He retorts, flopping himself onto your bed decidedly. You let out a frustrated sound and march over the couch yourself, only for him to follow you. As he walks over, you notice a slight limp in his step. You look away, but suddenly sit up straight and look again. The boy’s face suddenly strikes you as familiar, and the limp only helps you to identify him in your memories,

“I saw you when I was in America! You used to live in the apartment next to me!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're back, but you don't know everything just yet.

The second you speak, Jungkook slaps his hand down over your mouth, eyes burning with something dangerous. For the second time that day, shivers shoot down your spine and you go stiff. The dark eyes of the man in front of you are so different from the warm gaze of the boy next door, and time seems to freeze. Then, his grip loosens ever so slightly over you, and he leans forward so that his mouth hovers right above your ear,

“Here’s how this is going to go. I’m going to take my hand away and you’re not going to make a fucking sound until I ask you to. And you’re not to breathe a word of this to anyone. Got it?” Jungkook growls menacingly. You nod as much as you can under the strong grip of his hand, and it slowly loosens up until you can wrench yourself away from him, spluttering and gasping as you take in the air he had been restricting. You cling to the arm of the sofa and lean away from him, tears distorting your vision,

“You’re insane,” You manage to choke out, trying to stumble to the en suite you have in your room. But you’re dizzy, so Jungkook makes it to the door first. Surprisingly, he opens it for you, his expression returning to that of the reserved boy who collected you from the airport. He makes no eye contact as he does so, and closes the door behind you. Unable to take anymore shock that day, you slump against the door and slide down until you’re sat on the floor. You want to cry but the tears just won’t come anymore. All you can do is just sit there for a while, head in your hands as you think about everything. Your mother was a murderer, your father joined the mafia - hell, it looks like he ran it! - and now your brother is in your father’s old position, looking for some sort of revenge. It doesn’t feel real. And somehow, Jimin and Namjoon fit into all of this, and Jungkook…

He'd moved into the apartment next to the one your Aunt had in America a few weeks after you did. It was exciting for you, seeing someone your own age, who was just as new as you. He was smaller then, with a more youthful look about him. It’s no wonder you didn’t recognise him sooner.

You’d hit it off instantly, and you spent a lot of  time hanging out and talking. You felt at ease with this boy, the boy who had introduced himself as Jayden Black, and you soon found yourself texting late at night and sharing secrets. Jayden had lost his parents young too. They’d died in a fire a year or so ago, and he blamed himself for it. Of course, you’d assured him that it couldn’t possibly have been his fault, but he argued otherwise. He had gone into their room to get them out, but when one of the house’s support beams hit his leg, he’d chose himself above his parents, and left them behind. It didn’t matter that they told him to, he still did it.

A few nights after this revelation, you shared the story about your parent’s deaths.

The night your parents were killed was a Thursday. You and Jin hadn’t seen much of them that week, so he had driven the both of you to where you knew your father was working late. The moment you stepped into the building, you knew something was wrong. The receptionist wasn’t at the front desk and no-one was around. Even though you were a sheltered child, you could tell something was really wrong. Jin knew too, so he told you to wait in the lobby while he went through to your father’s favourite conference room. He discussed all the big deals in there, and Jin had known this was a big one. You had always been protected from the life of violence your parents had become accustomed too, but Jin hadn’t.

As the eldest, and the only son, he was trusted with the information you weren’t even allowed to have a clue about. Jin was never told everything, but he knew about the mafia, and he knew that he would be the one to take his father’s place when the time came. Even as you explained that Jin was to become CEO of the family business one day, you couldn’t tell Jayden what that business was. You never knew.

You explained to Jayden that your parents had been shot in cold blood, and you’d never found out why. You told him how your brother had sent you away, while he stayed behind to take over the business. You didn’t blame yourself in the way that Jayden blamed himself, but you still hated that you didn’t tell them that you loved them more often than you did. Jayden understood.

Jayden moved away shortly after that. They were lots of tears and hugs, but he still had to go. He promised to still text sometimes, but he never did. You got over it. Only now, after so many years, you’re faced with the fact that Jayden isn’t who he said he was, and the possibility that he could have lied about everything.

Jungkook sits against the bathroom door, sighing as he brings his hands up to hide his face. His mind flashes back to the night that he told you everything, and the kind way that you had treated him. He’d bared his soul to you, in a way he’d learned the hard way never to do, and you’d comforted him. Maybe if he could go back and do it all again, knowing what he does now, he would have introduced himself properly as Jeon Jungkook. Maybe he would’ve quit the intentions behind his brief move and not had to leave you shortly after finding out the true reason behind your move. Jungkook laughs at himself for even imagining a world where he could be painted as any kind of hero. It’s become clear that no matter what happens, that will never be him.

He shakes his head at himself as he stands up, sighing as he stretches. Jungkook may not be mentally prepared for you to walk out of that door, but when is he ever ready for anything? He’s long since accepted that life doesn’t wait for the ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’.

Back inside the bathroom, you’re splashing cold water on your face to try and calm your nerves. You have so many questions that you don’t even know what to do with yourself, but you know that you won’t be telling anyone. The way that Jungkook’s eyes darkened when you uttered those words ignited such a genuine fear within you. You used to always go to Namjoon when things went bump in the night, but that suddenly feels a million miles away. So much has changed in just a day and you feel like you’re experiencing motion sickness from it all.

Your legs shake beneath you as you walk to the bathroom door, opening it by a few millimetres to look out into the room that you now call your own. You see Jungkook lounging on the couch like he hasn’t a care in the world, and you nearly scoff. You would have, if it weren’t for the fear (and anger) bubbling up inside of you. But nonetheless, you push yourself out of the door, and make yourself march over to the bed, sitting down on it so that you face away from Jungkook. Being in the same room as him, knowing him and yet not knowing him, makes you feel sick, but the memories start trickling in more coherently, and you remember how you had so carefully spoken to him. You didn’t ask him any more questions, you just did your best to comfort a friend. You wonder to yourself where that caring girl has gone. In your head, you psych yourself up to try and talk to Jungkook, and you even turn yourself around to face him, about to ask him a question. You refuse to believe that Jayden was entirely made up. That’s when you hear a knock on the door. A man opens it when you croak out a response, and your breath catches in your throat.

He looks like an angel. He has a sharp jawline, toned thighs and strong arms, hidden under a tailored white blazer. It frames his shoulders and chest perfectly, and contrasts well with his otherwise black attire. His tight-fitting jeans have large rips all up them, leaving most of his thigh area exposed. He also wears a black t-shirt, as tight as the rest of his outfit, tucked perfectly into his Gucci belt. His hair is a dark brown, but the tips near his forehead are green. You try not to drool as your eyes wander down his body, before coming back up to meet his eyes. There’s no way he didn’t notice your staring, but he politely ignores it. He shows you a small smile as he bows lowly,

“Dinner is ready, and Seokjin has sent me to bring you,” The man says, straightening his back as he holds his arm out to you. You smile shyly in response and cross the room to take his arm, feeling horribly underdressed in your airport clothes all of a sudden. Just as you go to take his arm, Jungkook’s by your side, gripping your arm a little too hard as he yanks you away. His face looks outraged, confused and offended all at once,

“That won’t be necessary. I’m on protection, and I think she’s better off with me,” Jungkook snarls, teeth baring as his back bends slightly, like he’s about to pounce. You cower back, your arm beginning to hurt more, intensified by Jungkook’s reaction. You turn to the other man, silently begging for help. He exudes calmness as he straightens up further, gaining a few inches on the other boy,

“Let go of the lady. I was sent, and I will deliver. I was also instructed to dismiss you of your duties until further notice. I wasn’t going to say this so harshly, and I often try to avoid it, but your grip on Little Kim there seems to be tightening. Get the fuck off of her. Seokjin is a kind man, but his patience can wear thin, and today is not the day to test him. So run along like a good little Kookie,” The man says, face blank, save for the slight smirk forming on his lips that he doesn’t try particularly hard to hide. Jungkook stares dead into the other man’s eyes before throwing your arm down and storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that the house seems to shake. You jump back in shock and whimper slightly, free hand darting to the bruises already forming in the shape of Jungkook’s fingers.

The other man tuts softly, gently bringing your arm up so that he can see it. He examines it slightly, a frown marring his angelic features, “My name’s V. Well, a nickname, but I’m sure you can appreciate my use of an alias in this line of work,” He chuckles, shooting you a smile as he releases your arm, “Your arm will be sore, but not anything worse. Now, dinner?” V asks, offering you his arm once more, with a gentlemanly smile. It seems a few people here have managed to pick up the old-fashioned gesture.

The dining room is huge, with large oak doors and a grand table in the centre. Jin sits at the head of the table, looking like he’s very much used to it. He probably is by now, if you think about it. He gestures for you to sit down at the place that’s been set for you, on the side of the table right next to him. You sit down without a word, turning back to watch V shut the doors, not making eye contact with you as he stands in front of them. There’s no trace of the man who guided you down here with a large smile and a plethora of jokes to cheer you up. He stands straight like a bodyguard as you turn to Jin, eying him suspiciously,

“Not able to fetch me yourself?” You spit, suddenly overwhelmed by rage. You’d come here to reconnect with your brother, and you’d seen him once the whole day, where he dropped a bombshell and just sent you off into a room with a crazy man he barely even knew! But it seems as if Jin wasn’t expecting anything less from you, as he doesn’t even flinch as he picks up his fork, stabbing into his meal with no kind of negative expression of emotion. Jin takes a bite calmly before speaking,

“I’ve been preoccupied with Jung Hoseok, which is what we’re here to discuss,” His words shut you up instantly, remembering your encounter with the man earlier on in the day. His dark eyes, his cold smile… You shiver at just the memory. You look down at your plate and feel repulsion bubble up in your stomach at the very thought of eating. You hear Jin sigh, and you look up at his raised eyebrow and condescending expression, “That’s what I thought,” V seems to break character for a moment, and a quiet snort leaves him in place of a laugh. Jin’s head instantly snaps to him, and barks out a loud, “Out!” It shocks you, and even more so when V just bows his head and obliges. You watch him close the doors behind him and you turn back to Jin,

“Was it necessary to be so rude?” You ask, outraged by his mistreatment of a man who had showed you more kindness than your own brother in the two minutes you’d known him. Jin all but rolls his eyes at you,

“You’ll understand one day. But I didn’t suggest dinner so you can evaluate the treatment of my staff. We’re here about Hoseok. Don’t speak!” Jin says, holding his hand up to signal for silence when you open your mouth, “Just let me tell you who Hoseok is. Is that okay?” He asks, a little softer this time, like he’s finally realising that he can’t just bark orders at you. Not anymore, anyway. You wished Jin hadn’t become so absent in your life. The two of you were so close once upon a time. If you had a bad dream, you’d climb into his bed and cuddle into your big brother, who never complained once about it. He cooked you breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day, and made you cookies when you had a bad day. But after your parents passed, that all changed. He became withdrawn, like he was scared of you. You can understand why; he went through an ordeal when he found the bloodied and dead bodies of your parents. Just the thought sickens you, and you never actually saw them. But Jin found them, and even went through clear up. It still shocks you to this day.

So you try to make things a little easier for him - at least for now. You nod to him, and place your fork down. Even if you feel like you’re about to explode from all of the new information you’d gotten that day, you try your best. If you break it down into little pieces, maybe it’s not so bad. Your father was in the mafia. Jin sent you away to find their killers. Jayden was actually Jungkook, who was lying about his identity for some awful reason you don’t even want to know. You think that’s just about it, for now. It’s what you know for certain,

“So, Jung Hoseok. He’s part of a rival gang -  the only rival gang, really. No other organisation has even come close to what we have here,” Jin tells you, his voice dripping with what sounds like pride as he talks about his success, “But they’re still around, and they’re still dangerous. Nowhere near as big as us, but that’s never been a problem. Head of that gang is one man. He likes to think that he’s mysterious and unknown, but not so much. Sure, the lesser gangs have no clue, and they never will, but I do. So do Namjoon and Jimin. I had planned to keep you out of this as much as possible but Hoseok saw your face, so it doesn’t matter. You’re in this now, no matter how much I hate it,” Jin sighs, running his hand over his face as he places his fork down too, “His code name is Suga, but his real name is Min Yoongi,”

You take a few deep breaths to try and steady yourself. Maybe if you just take all of this information you can process it overnight. Get the tricky bit out of the way. Jin had paused, waiting for you to indicate that you understand. Jin had the luxury of finding out these things gradually, but you don’t. Maybe this is Jin’s fault for sending you away all those years ago. When you nod, he presses on, regardless of his regrets,

“So Suga. He’s head of this rival gang. I’ve been looking into him specifically for 3 years now, and I haven’t learned that much. He has no friends, no blood family, no care in the world other than two things that are very precious to him. He has his organisation, which is a part of him. He’s lost his whole family to it - it’s a family arrangement, like ours - so I’d guess that it is his family now. The most important thing in his life,” Jin pauses to let his words sink in. He hates just firing information at you like this, but he doesn’t have a choice, “From the investigation I’ve done, he seems very emotionally cold and uncaring, but I don’t think that’s the whole truth. He has a husband. That’s where Hoseok comes in. Hoseok… well, he’s known better as J-Hope, but regardless, he’s recognised as mentally insane. Completely off the hinge crazy. Uncontrollable and unlovable to all except Suga. The story goes that Suga broke into an asylum to steal some medication back when he was addicted, and didn’t like his parents trying to wean him off and make him fit for duty. Regardless of his motives, he saw a shivering little boy had beat him to it. Suga took him to clean up witnesses, but apparently he couldn’t kill him. He eventually fell in love, and they got married somewhere down the line. However, they’ll never be seen in public together and Suga treats Hoseok as just another worker. Hoseok is manipulative and terrifying so he’s great for deals. That’s what he does. Of course, I can count everyone who knows this on one hand. I want you to remember that. Namjoon and Jimin have no idea,” Jin pauses for a moment, gesturing for you to try and eat as he takes a few bites of the dish in front of him. You follow suit, murmuring through the food,

“Why are you telling me this?” You ask, still unsure, but trying your best to seem at ease. Maybe you can kid yourself into believing it. Jin swallows his food naturally, not rushing to answer to you. He wipes his mouth on his napkin before pushing the dish aside, so that he can lean onto the table to talk to you more directly,

“I assume that you remember the exact words Hoseok said to you in the hall?” You nod shyly, feeling the shivers down your spine again, “I need you to repeat them for me,” Jin tells you, his voice low and silky in an attempt to verbally console you. Shaking at the mere memory of the chilling man, your eyes drop to your own plate,

“Remember this sweetheart, we never forget faces,” You whisper, not able to bring yourself to say it any louder. In response, Jin sighs, leaning back again to run his fingers through his hair,

“I just don’t get what it means. I don’t think they know who you are, so why would it matter if they know your face?” He sighs to himself, and you think briefly about Jayden and Jungkook and that horrific mess. You’re about to tell Jin, but stop. Jungkook had threatened you (shortly before, confusingly, trying to stop V taking you away from him), and you’re not sure what Jin would say about you telling a stranger so much about your parents,

“I still don’t understand why you’re telling me all of this… about Suga and J-Hope,” You ask, not wanting to use their real names. They don’t even sound like they’re human, and this all sounds like a dream. At any moment, you expect Jin to laugh in your face and tell you it’s all a joke,

“You ought to know what you’re getting yourself into. I can take you back up to your room if you wish?” Jin asks, gesturing to the large doors. You shake your head, not really wanting to be alone. It seems as if Jin reads your mind, because he smiles supportively and helps you up anyway, “I have some stuff to do in my office. You can sit with me if you want?” You smile back, seeing a hint of your caring older brother shining through the chinks in his armour. You fall into step next to him as he opens the doors for you, nearly hitting V as he does. The slightly blushing man trips over his own feet, but regains it quickly as he follows the both of you up to the guarded door from earlier, where the man in the suit had been. At this point, Jin holds his hand up and squeezes it into a fist without even looking back. This clearly means something to V, as he doesn’t follow you in through the door.

Jin shows you to his office in silence, and you suddenly find yourself awkwardly stood in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do with yourself. Jin laughs - a bright sound that you’ve truly missed - and walks behind his desk, wheeling his big leather chair around for you to sit in. You smile with wide eyes, and leap onto it. You settle down, taking in a deep breath, expecting to smell some of the comforting cologne your brother always wore. It’s become something of a talisman to you, like a protection. But instead, your nose wrinkles in disgust,

“Why did you start wearing that awful cologne that Jimin likes? It smells like wet socks” You complain, looking at him curiously. Jin - who had been sorting through all the paperwork on his desk - suddenly stiffens visibly and turns around to face you, eyes dark with knowledge,

“What did you say?” He asks lowly, almost a growl. You sink further into the chair, slightly intimidated as you repeat your question (without the wet socks comment), a lot quieter this time. Jin curses under his breath and looks away, trying to compose himself before standing up straight, still facing out the window that replaces the back wall. He pulls a flip phone out of his back pocket and taps out a short message, before putting it back in his pocket. His voice sounds almost robotic as he requests something from you, “Please could you go out of the door we left V at? Namjoon will meet you there. Send V in, and Namjoon will take care of you from there,” You sigh as Jin visibly becomes so cold again, but go up and hug his back anyway. You rest your face between his shoulder blades and you feel his hands pat yours, “I’m sorry things are so messy. I promise I’m not mad at you, I just… It’ll all make sense one day,” Jin whispers, although you feel it’s more for his sake than yours. On your way out, you could swear you hear him sniffle.

 

Namjoon greets you with a smile, taking your elbow and guiding you down several flights of stairs, and out a back door, all the while asking you questions about how your room was, if you’d like to change anything and how everyone was acting towards you so far. You gladly lose yourself in the conversation, telling him about everything he questions. You’ve always loved talking to Namjoon because of how well he listens. You’re so deep in conversation that you don’t even realise you’re half way over the grounds, walking towards the grey block you’d seen on your way in. You come to a halt, turning to Namjoon to ask why you’re heading to the accommodation block. Namjoon smiles hesitantly and rubs the back of your neck with his hand,

“Well Jin might have given me permission to help train you for the life we lead. When you addressed your brother for the first time in far too long, me and Jimin recognised a certain trait we look for in disciplinary jobs. Jimin in particular is great at training staff because he’s tough and he has passion. That can’t be taught, you see, and you have those natural qualities. Jin said I could build on them,” He tells you, and you smile, laughing at his nervousness,

“That’s cool! So I can boss you around, yeah?” You tease, loving the way Namjoon’s cheeks blush pink as he pushes you gently, starting towards the housing unit again,

“We’ll start with you meeting a few of the trainees, and see how you respond to them, and how they respond to you, then we’ll try to see if they will liste- “ Namjoon starts, but never finishes his sentence, as you hear a series of gunshots sound from somewhere in the grounds.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin's investigation is well underway now, but you're still in the dark about most of it.

You hear the shouts of orders before the fact even registers with you. You can’t do anything but stand there as worries begin to run through your head, wondering what on earth is going on and if anyone you know - or anyone at all - is hurt. Jin’s name crosses your mind with a pang to your heart, and you fall to your knees,

“Come on, you have to get up! You can’t stop! We need to get you inside now!” Namjoon tells you, nearly shouting over the turmoil behind you. You shake your head, feeling the tears and the weight of your time here suddenly washing over you. Namjoon lets out what sounds like a growl from deep in his throat and he tears off his suit jacket and throwing it over you, as you’d started shaking form worry and shock at some point. The emotions from what you’ve experienced today finally get to you and Namjoon’s voice fades out into the background. Vaguely you feel strong arms around you; you’re not touching the floor; there’s an erratic heartbeat by your ear and you can hear your own breath alongside it. Time passes around you and you barely register Namjoon taking you straight up through the mansion and to Jin’s office. You find yourself gently placed in Jin’s big chair and you immediately curl yourself up.

Jin paces in front of you, back and forth across the length of the office. You can hardly focus on him, because all you want to do is cry. Maybe you are crying, you can’t tell. The weight of everything happening is crushing you, and you can feel it on your shoulders as you bring your knees up to your chest, wrapping Namjoon’s jacket tighter around you. You hear Jin’s voice rise slightly, and you jolt as you try to listen,

“I don’t care what you think, whoever shot here won’t shoot again. We know they’re here, they’ll assume this room is empty,” Jin’s saying to Namjoon, who’s looking at Jin with a steely gaze. You vaguely register the broken window, unable to connect that to the gunshots right now, “I just don’t know how this could have happened. I wasn’t even in here! I’d just left. Why now? That’s the question. If the shots had been just two minutes earlier- wait,” He pauses and you sit up straighter, wondering what he means, “Two minutes,” He mutters, like it holds some grand meaning for him. Jin goes to take another step, but lets out a sound of pure frustration, suddenly barking for Namjoon to escort you to your room for the night.

 

30 minutes later, you’re laid on the bed next to Namjoon, wearing a set of the nicer pyjamas that you brought with you. Namjoon’s holding your hand in both of his, gently rubbing his thumb against it as you talk to each other about anything that comes to mind. You stifle a yawn, but Namjoon catches it. He smiles softly and stands up, going to grab two pairs of earphones and a dual jack from his jacket. He places them on the bed before dismissing himself to the bathroom.

He soon re-enters the bedroom, now dressed in loose grey sweatpants and a tight black t-shirt that shows off his arms well. You smile at him and gesture for him to get into bed. He obliges without question, letting you rest your head on his chest as he fusses around with the earphones, so that you can both have two earphones and still share the same music. If anyone who didn’t know you had walked in, they would’ve thought you and Namjoon were together. But no, you’re just so close that neither of you thinks twice about it,

“Let’s just listen to music and sleep. It’s been a long day,” Namjoon murmurs, ruffling your hair before handing you your pair of earphones. You take them with a smile and put them in, feeling sleep creep up on you as Namjoon switches on some calming music and pulls the warm covers over the both of you.

 

It doesn’t feel like you’ve slept at all when you hear the gunshot. You’ve heard way too many in the past 24 hours for your liking. You’re upright in an instant, and a quick glance at the clock tells you that it’s 5am. Namjoon is right next to you, hands holding your shoulders as he tugs you a little, trying to get you to lay back down. But you won’t. You’re struggling against his grip, terrified that someone you know got shot. It’s sickening that this sense of fear has struck you before. You try to shove Namjoon off, but he’s not having it,

“Look, just lay down! Jin’s okay, just lay down, please!” He’s begging, but you barely hear over the sound of your own shouts. You’re yelling for anyone you can think of in this house that you care about, wanting to know if they’re okay. Namjoon’s grip tightens on you, finally letting go of his composure as he shoves you down, holding you down by your shoulders as you kick and thrash, screaming for him to get off you. If you’d calmed down for a second, you would’ve seen the disgust written on Namjoon’s face - the disgust at himself for using brute force on you - but you don’t; you just keep screaming and struggling, refusing to stop until you see Jin and Jimin and even Jungkook or V, needing them to be okay.

You have no clue how much time passes before Jin comes in, eyes wide with worry, and suit jacket ruffled like he’d just put it on. At the sight of your brother, you calm down a little. Namjoon lets go of you and you practically fly across the room, throwing yourself at Jin, so glad that he’s okay,

“I thought it was you! Jin, I was so scared, I thought it was you, I thought they came back and tried to finish you off,” You tell him, tears slipping out as you repeat over and over that you thought it was him. You push back from him a little, inspecting him for any damage. That’s when you see the drops of blood on his neck, smudged as if they’d been partially wiped off. You push back completely, looking at him like you barely know him. Jin notices your reaction immediately and shakes his head,

“Please don’t over react, I’ll explain everything if you just calm down. I’m okay. I’m not hurt. I’ll be calling an early meeting with my staff, but I’ll leave V with you. Is that okay?” Jin asks, and you’re almost shocked by his soft tone. He’d actually asked you this time. He hasn’t done that in a long time, so you almost feel bad for what you do next. Almost.

You nod, looking at the floor until you watch Jin move past you to speak to Namjoon. In that moment, you quickly run out of the room, slamming the door behind you. The gunshot came from Jin’s office, and you just know there’s something he’s not telling you. You don’t know why you want to see, but your feet are carrying you up to the office anyway. The security door is carelessly left open, and you don’t bother to ponder that, desperate to reach the office before the two shouting men behind you reach you. You’re almost there, just a few steps away. Jin is yelling at you to not go in, telling you it’s too much for you. You don’t even consider if he’s right before entering. But he was right.

Blood. Blood is everywhere. You’ve never seen so much of it in your life. It’s dripping down the stark white walls, staining them red. There’s lumps in it, slowly sliding down too - it’s a mix of brain and skull, and you find yourself ready to throw up. Your eyes won’t stop looking though, and they eventually find the crumpled body on the floor, the back of their skull gaping, with more brain matter falling out. As if that isn’t enough, your legs move you forward, turning until you can see the face of the body. When you see his wide, dead eyes, the faint scream still on his lips, the dark hair that’s lost all its bounce, that’s now hanging limply across the messy entry wound on his forehead. Jimin’s forehead,

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?!” You hear from behind you. Jin’s voice is harsh and barely short of a yell as his rough hands grab you and pull you out of the room, not caring that your feet aren’t leaving the floor. You’re thrown into a seat two rooms over, and Jin’s furious face is all you can see as he continues to yell, “Don’t you ever come up here unless you have explicit fucking permission from me or Namjoon! Do you understand?!”

“Why would I take orders from a murderer?!” You scream right back, finding your voice in the same instant that your eyes find the smeared blood on your brother’s neck for the second time. Jimin’s blood,

“You want to hear about fucking murderers? That man, Park Jimin is a fucking murderer!” Jin yells, his voice doubling in volume as he turns back to slam the door. He tries to continue shouting, but you cut him off, your voice finding a new level of volume that you didn’t realise you had,

“Don’t you talk about him like that, he’s more of a brother to me than you ever have been!” You scream, and that shuts Jin up instantly. The anger visibly drains from his body and his mouth closes as he pulls a chair over so that he can sit in front of you, resting his head in his hands. He rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands,

“I know,” Jin mutters, surprising you. You turn to him and watch him as he takes a deep breath, clearly finding difficulty in continuing, “I know I haven’t done right by you in a long time. But I can’t help it. These people aren’t who they say they are. Jimin was never ours,” Jin tells you, and you frown. Part of you has already supressed the awful image of Jimin’s brains all over the wall just a few metres away so you don’t find it hugely difficult to push it aside in your head and listen to Jin’s words, “He was always Suga’s man. Working on the inside. I used him for discipline and timing things to perfection, but I never asked where he learned it from,” Jin tells you, and you feel out of your depth,

“What do you mean?” You ask, trying to keep your voice calm and soothing. Jin sighs and shifts back, reaching in his trouser pocket to get a small envelope out. He holds it in his hands before continuing, slower and more calculated,

“Suga. Suga’s always been time perfect. I only pieced together the links between Jimin’s obsession with time and Suga’s timely operation after those shots today. And the fact that you smelled his cologne in my office. He’s been sneaking around, under the pretence of being my close friend. Earlier, he brought you to me two minutes early. Had we stayed in that room for two more minutes, you, me, or Namjoon would be dead. His watch is off by two minutes. Do you agree?” Jin asks, watching your face for your reaction. You take a deep breath and nod slowly,

“But why? Jimin has always been there for me. How could he do this to me, and to you, and to Namjoon? I thought he was one of my best friends but…” You trail off, unable to string together anymore words. Jin hands you the photos tentatively, and watches your face as you open them. It’s a small set of polaroid photos, showing Jimin and another man around the same height. He has blonde hair, and he’s pale. They’re both dressed in grey sweatpants and blank tank tops, like the young men you saw training on the grounds yesterday. Jimin looks a lot younger, maybe 15 or 16. The man next to him - Suga - looks a little older, but not by much. You turn to Jin and ask what you’re looking at,

“That’s him and Suga training together. I got them anonymously on my birthday last year. I thought nothing of it at the time - that Jimin was too young to know who that man was, that this was just to mess with my head, but now…” Jin starts, but ends up stopping. You look at him, and see the tears in his eyes. It clicks with you that he’d just killed his best friend and here he is, trying to justify it. You reach out to take his hand, your small hands not covering his, but Jin still feels the comfort in the gesture, “I’m sorry. I haven’t been a good brother at all, but I want you to let me try. I need to brief Namjoon and take care of clean up,” He shivers at the carelessness of his words, but pushes on anyway, “I’ll set aside some time to spend with you as soon as I can. For now, I’ll call for V to stand guard outside your room,”

“Can’t you get him to come inside?” You murmur, averting your eyes as you feel embarrassment creep up your neck and onto your cheeks, “I just lost my brother. I don’t want to be alone,” You say, a whole host of emotions brewing inside of you. At this point, it feels like shock is the only thing keeping you going. Jin nods understandingly and stands up. He pulls out a small flip phone and taps in a few things, hits send and then puts it back in his pocket,

“V will meet you outside the security door,” Jin sighs, pushing his hair back with his hands, “I’m sorry about all of this. I wish you could’ve waited just 6 months to come home, but it’s okay. I think we’re safe now. At least for a little while,” Jin admits, holding his arms out to you. You smile weakly and let him hug you. It feels weird after so long, but it’s oddly comforting. Jin awkwardly pats your shoulder and pulls back, “V should be outside now. I won’t be ages, but I need to talk to Namjoon and make a few calls. Tell V he has permission to enter your room and do whatever it is that he does to calm people down,” Jin tells you before gesturing for you to leave the room. You walk out, passing Namjoon, who’s sat in the hall, eyes a little red from tears. You smile weakly as you head to the security doors, trying not to look into Jin’s office.

 

Jin beckons Namjoon into the room when he hears the security door buzz shut. He was an idiot to leave it open in the first place. How inconsiderate was it of him to leave it open when Jimin was dead just a few metres away? He had let his emotions get the better of him, and cloud his judgement. But the moment he realised… he just completely lost control. He’d killed people before but never like this. Never in cold blood. Never the second most trustworthy person in his life. But the fact that he was now closer to his vengeance lit something within him that he knows he won’t be able to stop. He’s had his doubts before, wondering if he’d really be able to go through with it when it came down to it, but this really was the ultimate test for him. He’d thought he could trust Jimin nearly as much as he trusts Namjoon, but he was wrong. He’d had his doubts about Namjoon for a few seconds, but that was impossible. He’d grown up with him. And Namjoon’s a terrible liar anyway.

Namjoon sits on the couch across from Jin, his hair no longer neat. His eyes are red and his breathing isn’t even in any way, but it’s okay. Jin understands why. He sighs and sits back on the couch, trying to come up with a sentence. But he doesn’t have to. Somehow, Namjoon comes up with something first,

“Why Jimin?” He asks. His voice is rough, and Jin can instantly tell that he’s angry. He can’t find it in himself to blame the younger man, “He never did a thing against you and you killed him in cold blood. I trusted you. I did everything you asked of me, and you repay me by killing my best friend. Why Jimin?” Namjoon says again, unable to come to terms with it as easy as Jin has,

“Because he was working with Suga. That’s why Hoseok just agreed to meet with us so easily. Suga knew there were no risks, because Jimin would be here. He ordered Jimin to shoot my office. He wanted us dead,” Jin says, slowly and calmly. He watches Namjoon’s face trying to gauge his reaction,

“Is this to do with your parents?” Namjoon replies simply after about 3 minutes of silence. Jin’s eyebrows raise in response, and leaves a short pause to think of how to phrase his reply. He doesn’t want to tell Namjoon outright what his intentions are, but he doesn’t have much of a choice,

“Yes,”

“And that revolver you have stashed unceremoniously in the back of your trousers?” Namjoon asks again, and Jin has to actively try not to show his shock. He didn’t realise it was so obvious. It probably wasn’t, to be fair. Namjoon’s just good at what he does. For a long time he’s been in this business, so it’s not really all that surprising that he can tell who’s got a gun on them and who hasn’t. That’s why Jin doesn’t even try and deny it. He just nods, before going into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out the brass shell of a bullet. It’s a little dull, but otherwise unblemished. Namjoon’s eyes widen in shock, but he doesn’t otherwise react,

“I have 6 of these. One for each person involved with the death of my parents. I want this engraved with Jimin’s name, polished, and put in my glass display case. I’d ask you to do this, but I guess it’s too much. He was your friend and I respect tha- “

“I’ll do it,” Namjoon blurts, cutting Jin off, “I’ll do it if you tell me why his name is going on here. I’ll do all of them, but I need to know why,” Namjoon finishes, his tone strong. He always was good at ignoring his emotions. Jin sighs and places the shell in Namjoon’s open palm. He hadn’t wanted to lay all of his cards out so soon, but if he couldn’t be honest with Namjoon, how could he be honest with himself?

“He was meant to be our guy. Jimin was supposed to be on our side, training to help me when I took over. I was going to call him to help me get through things on the night that I found my parents, but he was already there. I assumed he was in for some late night training, that he’d hidden when things started, and hadn’t come out until he realised it was okay but looking back… he wasn’t even that shaken up. Like he’d expected it. I thought it was good composure, but piecing together what I did today says otherwise. He must have just stood there, or maybe even let their killer in. I don’t know for sure, but I’m mostly certain. When I get to them, I’ll be sure to ask,” Jin promises, and he watches Namjoon nod. It’s enough for him,

“I’ll check on V, make sure everything’s okay,” Namjoon says, standing up as he slips the case into his pocket, “I’ll get this engraving done. I’m assuming this stays within this room?” Namjoon’s voice is emotionless and business like, but Jin knows that it’s so he can pretend it doesn’t matter to him,

“Yes. Thank you. If possible, swap V out when she’s asleep. She seems to prefer him, but I trust Jungkook more to watch over her during the night,” Jin instructs Namjoon, standing up to face him,

“The new trainee. Jeon?” Namjoon asks, clearly confused. It’s not often that Jin chose to trust new recruits with important tasks,

“He argued with V over her safety before dinner. That’s important to me,” Jin states, his tone final. No arguments. Namjoon just nods, turning on his heel and walking out of the door, leaving Jin alone in the room with nothing but his thoughts, and his friend’s dead body just 2 doors down,

“Six,” He whispers into the silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You begin to learn your place in the mansion and make some new friends.

For a reason that you can’t describe, you feel at ease around V. Not happy or peaceful, just calm. Despite his profession, he’s gentle and careful as you get back into bed. It’s still early, so you’d rather stay up to be quite honest. After what you’ve seen, you’re sure that nightmares will take you. There’s an aching in your heart that still yearns for the Jimin that you knew, not the villain that Jin told you about. V nods when you try your best to explain this, gently moving your hair out of your face as tears begin to fall,

“It’s okay to feel things. If you live this life for too long, you forget that people need time to mourn and come to terms with things. Maybe that’s why Jin seems like he doesn’t care. He’s lived this life so long that he’s forgotten that you haven’t. I’m sure his heart hurts too, but he’s learned to hide it. It’s okay that you haven’t,” V explains, his voice soft and understanding when you ask why Jin doesn’t care. It makes sense. Jin’s learned to be invulnerable and emotionless. You haven’t,

“Will you stay here? Can you just sit with me and talk? I keep seeing it…” You admit, not wanting V to sit back down on the couch. He smiles sadly into the dark, but he obliges. He sits up against the headboard on the other side of the bed to you, and talks about the first thing that comes to his mind. His job,

“I started working when I was very young, because I was poor. It was a good opportunity for me,” V explains, staring off into nothing, “I’m not really sure of where I fit in yet, but all I want is to be a good person, and do the right things for the right people. I don’t want to be evil,” He continues, trying his best to skirt around the gory details. That’s the last thing you need after the awful first day you’ve had. Even from V’s perspective, it was a trying day. He wasn’t even the one having his reality tipped upside down.

You fall asleep soon after V starts talking, so exhausted that the man can’t blame you. His eyes trace over your face as you sleep, and he reaches a hand out to smooth your hair down, hoping it holds off any night terrors. You look so innocent and precious in this state - not that V didn’t already think so. You’re by no means a child anymore, but you might as well have been.

V’s mind wanders to his purpose in the mansion, and it hurts him to consider it all. Suga seemed so adamant that Jin was an evil, evil man. He seemed certain that the world was better off without him. But looking here at you, right now, V questions it. How could someone so awful have someone so pure rely upon them? If Jin was as crooked as Suga made out, how are you so sweet? You were thrown into this against your will, losing your closest friend and your parents all over again in just one day. V knows what it’s like to lose everything.

Does it matter about what may happen to a traitor in such a violent world? More importantly, does V care enough to risk it? Maybe. He wasn’t lying to you when he said that he wants to be a good person. If he could just be man enough to tell Jin the truth, maybe it could do something to help.

Regardless of what conclusion V comes to, he’s rudely ripped from his thoughts when the bedroom door opens. His eyes dart to the two figures coming in, but relaxes when he sees that it’s just Namjoon and… Jungkook. Great.

Namjoon smiles at the sight of V sitting with you, gently smoothing your hair down. He’s never known anyone to be so caring in this business as V, and it’s reassuring that you’ve taken a liking to him as well. One of Namjoon’s greatest concerns about you coming home, other than your safety, is your mental wellbeing. It’s not that Jin’s unconcerned, it’s just that he overlooks things like that when he’s so busy. It’s nice that you seem to have made a friend, even if Jin seems to prefer Jungkook to be around you,

“Hey. Thanks for taking care of her, but Seokjin asked for Jungkook to take security detail until she wakes up,” V’s blood boils at Namjoon’s words, and he nearly snarls when he sees Jungkook’s blatant smirk. V would bet anything that the kid is loving this, weaselling his way into the Kim Organisation so easily. But with Namjoon around, he can’t say anything without risking his own neck prematurely. He still isn’t quite sure how he wants to play this yet, so he has to settle for hostile co-operation,

“I think she’s going to have nightmares. I hope Kook here is okay with that,” V spits, glaring at the younger man before getting up quietly, careful not to disturb your sleep. Namjoon - oblivious to the bad blood between the two - just nods, assuming V’s feeling protective over you. After such an event, it’s likely that you found solace with him, and V’s worried. Maybe Jin will take it into consideration in the future,

“He’ll be fine, I’m sure,” Namjoon assures V softly, allowing him to leave the room before turning to Jungkook, “Don’t wake her up. She’s had a long day, and interrupted sleep like this won’t be good for her. Text me or Seokjin when she wakes,” Namjoon instructs, meeting Jungkook’s eyes in the dim light from the hallway, “If she has a nightmare, be careful with your words. You might upset her easily, and she might want to be left alone. Just… take care of her,” He adds, before leaving the room hurriedly. Like V explained to you earlier, emotions are a liability in this business, especially for people like Namjoon.

Jungkook settles himself down on the couch, casting a watchful eye over you. For a second, he sees you through Jayden’s eyes and he has the urge to climb into bed next to you and hold you close, but then he shakes his head and the urge is gone. Jayden isn’t real, and Jungkook needs to get a grip of himself. Keep his mind clear. No matter how much you’ve changed or haven’t changed, no matter how bad he feels, he has to stay neutral.

Maybe one day he’ll tell you the truth. He could start from the beginning and tell you-

“Jin! Jin, where are you!?” You suddenly scream, sitting bolt upright in bed as tears stream down your face. There was so much blood, so much pain, and all you want is your big brother,

“Hey! Hey, it’s okay,” Jungkook calls, instantly on the bed next to you. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed you starting to cry, moving around as nightmares tormented you, “It’s okay, I’m right here. You don’t need to be afraid,” He coos, wrapping his arms around you and letting you fall into his chest. You cry harshly, clinging to Jungkook desperately, wanting so badly to go back before this all happened,

“It was so scary, there was so much blood, please don’t let there be so much blood,” You whimper, barely coherent in your terror. Jungkook reassures you with a gentle voice and lets you sit in his lap as he cradles you. For those minutes that you take to calm down, you let yourself believe that it’s really Jayden - Jayden who had comforted you all those years ago, and never lied. You let yourself be consoled by someone who you pretend to know, “Please just talk,” You ask, desperate for something to fill the silence other than your ragged breath, “Tell me a story, just say something,”

“Once upon a time, there was a lonely little boy,” Jungkook says, talking before he can stop himself, “Nobody liked him because he wasn’t quite right. He was an empty boy, who liked to lie to stop himself getting hurt,” You’re barely listening, eyes closed as you steady yourself, thankful for Jungkook’s strong arms, “One day, the lonely little boy met a kind princess. She made him feel a little less empty, so even though the little boy lied to her at first, he soon decided that he didn’t want to lie anymore,” Your eyes flutter open, and you focus on Jungkook’s words more, a sick curiosity blooming in you, “He didn’t want to be a liar anymore. All the little boy wanted was for the princess to love hi-“

“I’m taking a shower,” You say, cutting Jungkook off rudely. You don’t want to hear what he has to say if he’s going to say that. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be able to go back to sleep.

Jungkook sighs to himself, wishing he hadn’t tried to open up. He’d managed to ruin it like last time. At least he’s polite enough to pretend that he can’t hear you crying in the shower. Instead, he decides to take his time wandering over to the couch and texting Jin that you’re awake, but not 100%. Jin texts back quickly, instructing Jungkook to bring you down to breakfast when you’re ready.

You drink from the sink after getting out of the shower and drying your hair, hoping the cool water will do something to calm your nerves. You’d let yourself cry yourself out in the shower, but then V’s words came to you. The people here have become accustomed to hiding their emotions, and even if you’re no good at that, you want to do your best. As the news about Jimin settles in, that he wasn’t truly your friend, the hurt lessens, but not by much,

“Ready for breakfast?” Jungkook asks brightly when you’re finally ready for the day. You glare at him, close to refusing. But Jungkook’s one step ahead, already showing you the text from Jin to reassure you that it’s not some weird plan of Jungkook’s to kill you or something. You huff, but fall into step a metre behind Jungkook as he leads you down to the dining room where you ate with Jin yesterday.

Your heart aches to see your brother looking so composed and unruffled, but you stifle the lump in your throat. V’s boxy smile elicits a similar response from you, and you feel genuine warmth for the man. He was so considerate to you earlier, even if he was swapped for Jungkook at some point. You wish it has been V comforting you this morning,

“Good morning. I hope you slept well,” Jin calls, smiling at you. It’s not a true smile, but you return it nonetheless. You sit yourself between him and Namjoon without replying, and shoot a look to V, hoping he’ll understand it. He nods with a small smile, so you know that he did. You stop short when you see the hot breakfast plated out in front of you - it’s the one that Jin used to make for you every morning when your parents were away. Very different to the various cereals and slices of toast that the other men have in front of them,

“Thank you,” You whisper to Jin, understanding him a little better from this simple gesture. He’s changed over time, no longer favouring grand gestures to show that he cares, but he does still care, and that’s what matters. You should try harder to reconcile with him.

As you pick up your utensils to eat, you feel several pairs of eyes on you. It makes you feel slightly self-conscious, so many unknown men staring at you, but you try your best to ignore it. The breakfast is as good as it always was, and you wonder if Jin actually made it himself. It seems weird to think of him in the kitchen now, one of your mother’s frilly aprons on, but the thought is enough to make you smile. Jin’s lips curl upwards too, likely rembering the same thing.

It’s shortly after that when you lose your patience with the men ogling you. You’d think they’d never seen someone eat a nice breakfast before! With a ‘clink’ you place your utensils down with more force than necessary to glare straight back at one of them, a pointed aura about you. He drops his gaze pretty quick after that, and you go back to eating in peace. You don’t catch the knowing look that Namjoon gives Jin (who simply rolls his eyes fondly), but you hear his stifled laugh. Instead of lifting your spirits, it only drags them down further.

There’s something from this dynamic, and it’s Jimin. He may have been traitorous, but he couldn’t have lied about everything. He must have loved you the way that you loved him, no matter how difficult it is to remember your Jimin and the Jimin that Jin described together. You feel the tears coming again, when Jin clears his throat, and you’re forced back to reality,

“I had wanted you to stay out of this, maybe head back to America after a week or so, but since you know so much now, I figured you might as well train,” Jin says, folding his hands onto the table so that he can turn to face you. A groan of protest is already leaving your lips when Namjoon laughs and interrupts,

“Don’t worry, we know exercise isn’t your thing,” Namjoon assures you and you breathe a sigh of relief, “We wanted to train you to be like Jin and me. You’re not a soldier, but we think you’re a leader,” Namjoon explains, and you don’t know what to make of that. Do you really want to be any kind of leader if it means being as invulnerable as V explained? That sounds… lonely. But if it will keep your mind busy, then you don’t have any objections.

After discussing your options with Jin and Namjoon, you decide you’d rather go with Namjoon and watch a training session that he’s taking today. Your other options included going with Jin so he can explain more about the business, or sitting in with some meetings between other high-ranking members of the mafia, but that sounded boring. Also, you’ve gotten so much information recently that you think you’ll explode if you take anymore. So Namjoon guides you up to a training studio with a kind smile and a comforting presence. It’s almost easy to push Jimin out of your mind with Namjoon talking to you.

You sit in the back of the training room quietly, feeling a little nervous at the overwhelming presence of testosterone in this room. You don’t mean to generalise, but these don’t look like the kind of men you’re used to. Namjoon didn’t mind when you said you’d rather sit back and watch, and he even offered to keep a watchful eye on you. If you get too uncomfortable, then Namjoon will end the session early and take you on a tour through the grounds. He looks at you with sad eyes, and it makes you feel wounded, but you don’t really mind. You understand his wariness after what’s gone on.

As you sit picking at your clothes while paying mild attention to the way Namjoon conducts himself (not trying to force his authority, but allowing his natural demeanour to do the talking), you realise that you haven’t seen any other women here so far. Maybe that’s part of the reason that everyone seems to look at you strangely.

Sitting alone seems to do more bad than good, however. Before long, you’re wondering if Jimin trained like these men, or if he trained with Namjoon to be a leader… someone sitting down beside you to take a brief break luckily tears you away from those thoughts. They’ll only make you cry, and you don’t want Namjoon to feel like he has to stop the session on your account. You vaguely wonder if Jin would be willing to watch a film with you later, just to pretend that everything is normal,

“So, who are you then? You don’t look like one of the burly recruits the Boss is bringing in,” He smirks, taking a long drink from his water bottle. You look around to see everyone taking a brief break, and you realise that you’ve wasted a good two or three hours locked in your own thoughts,

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” You reply before introducing yourself. Despite his forwardness, the recruit doesn’t seem so bad. He asks you questions and makes you smile (a little hollowly, you must admit), and it’s nice to almost feel that you’re making friends in this terrifying place. Of course, you’re the only woman here. You almost forgot, until Macho Man here reminds you of that, “You should come with me to the accommodation block with me, It should be empty and even if it’s not, I could show you a good time,” He leers, and a shiver shoots down your spine. Definitely not.

You get up to leave instantly, knowing that you don’t have to stand for that kind of behaviour. Not when Namjoon’s around, or anytime actually. Just because he’s a creep, it doesn’t mean he can talk to you that. But then he makes a huge mistake. He has the audacity to grab your wrist, standing up with you and pulling you into him. You may look small, but you won’t be pulled around like that,

“Don’t touch me,” You snap, slapping him on the spot. You can see the misogynistic fit on his face as it goes red from anger, and the force of your slap, “I don’t know who the hell raised you, but you can’t disrespect anyone like that. It’s not just women, it’s everyone. Control your dick,” You seethe, finally wrenching your wrist out of his grip. You get the feeling that not many people have ever had the courage to set him straight like that,

“You’re right,” Namjoon says, not moving from his spot on the other side of the room. He looks more intimidating than you thought he could be - his soft dimpled face is set like stone, arms folded across his broad chest. Everyone has stopped to look, “And you,” He continues, pointing a finger at the recruit, “You can march yourself up to the main office and inform Mr Kim about this incident. Spare him no details. I’ll be checking,” The recruit goes without a fuss, but you can hear him muttering under his breath.

That felt good.

At this point, Namjoon deems it appropriate to make you introduce yourself to the whole room. This is not what you wanted. You feel like you’re back at school, the new kid having to share ‘three unique facts’ to the class. You huff, but do as you’re told,

“I’m Kim Y/N, I’m Jin- I mean, I’m related to Mr Kim. He wants to train me in…” You trail off as you try to think of a good way to phrase this, “I don’t know, leadership I guess,” You give up without much of an effort. Given the reaction of that recruit, you suppose they won’t respect you much as it is, so what you say won’t make any difference.

Namjoon smiles down at you affectionately as you blush - this shyness is so sweet on you, and he feels slightly resentful that you’ll have to harden yourself to get by in this life. He’s about to speak to the group when one of the smaller recruits steps forwards with an encouraging smile,

“It’s nice to meet you. It seems to me like you’re already half way there,” He tells you, extending a hand to shake. You blush as you take it, all too aware of the smirks everyone now wears as they look  at you. But you appreciate the gesture, nonetheless, and return the smile. Hopefully he isn’t a utter creep like that other man who approached you. His face seems genuine tough. Not the kind that you’ve seen on the grounds so far,

“Right, back to work!” Namjoon interrupts, “Name and shame anyone who isn’t trying as hard as you think they could be,” Namjoon tells you, but senses your protest. He smiles goofily at you, “Or just point, since you don’t know any names,” You nod in understanding, but don’t move away from Namjoon. The group of men slap the nice one on the back (in a mocking kind of way, you note) before going back to there stations, the one who spoke to you now a clear shade of red.

You walk around with Namjoon, focussing a little more on the pointers he gives, and the way he conducts himself. As a leader, he isn’t overbearing. He doesn’t impose himself or shout at people, and you can tell that this is what makes him such a good leader. Learning from him is easy, and you think you could do well like this. You wouldn’t ever enjoy this kind of life, but if you had to it would be like this.

The only issue is the general morale of the recruits. You feel that it’s probably something to do with you. They’re really pushing their limits in terms of lack of trying. You can’t pinpoint anyone in particular, but since Namjoon asked you to ‘name and shame’ people who aren’t quite up to par, they seem to be testing you. It’s like they don’t think you’ll actually do it,

“You,” Is all you can really say to grab the recruit’s attention. He’s easily the biggest guy in the room, but he’s doing the least out of everyone. His push ups are pathetic, “You’re barely even trying. Don’t you want to be here?” You ask, and the room falls silent once more. Why does everyone have to stare at you?

The man seems to think he can push you around, despite what happened just 30 minutes ago. He gets to his feet in front of you, just a little too close for comfort and stares down at you. You can tell he expects you to step back and concede, but that’s not who you are. The last day or so may have made you feel as if you’re weak or naïve, but it’s just not in your nature. You stare straight back.

It only takes a few moments for him to realise that intimidation won’t make you back down, so he steps back with a growl in his throat, leaving you feeling pretty smug. The rest of the group smiles at each other, and a few at you, before starting their routines again. You get the feeling that you won’t find insolence a problem anymore.

Namjoon ruffles your hair in a brotherly fashion before gesturing for you to take more control from now on. Admittedly you’re still not overly confident, but that’s only going to improve with time. Namjoon is still right by your side, not leaving you alone to learn. You only have to talk a little bit, and you appreciate that. You learn a few names, and you even forget about the heaviness in your heart for a while. Not just the heaviness of Jimin, but the heaviness that comes with your entire reality being torn to shreds.

As the time creeps towards midday, you start to get a little restless. You’re kind of hungry, and the workout room smells like sweat, so you want to leave. Just as you turn to tell Namjoon, he checks the time,

“Jin will probably be having lunch now. He normally meets with a few people to discuss things over lunch, but I’m sure he won’t mind you sitting in,” Namjoon tells you, and your face lights up in approval. Despite coming here to see your brother, you haven’t actually seen much of him, “Do you know the way?” Namjoon probes, and you pause. You don’t have a clue. This place is huge. Luckily, the recruit who shook your hand earlier is willing to take you over.

You walk side by side in silence for a few moments, both of you wondering if you should say something. Ultimately, you find your curiosity getting the better of you, so you ask tentatively,

“I’m sorry if this is a rude thing to ask, but how did you end up here? You seem nice, do you know what you’re involved it?” That definitely sounded a little insensitive, but he just laughs it off,

“I know that I’m involved in the mafia, yes. I was a bad teen, the rebellious kind, and I got into some trouble with some dealers in my area, and now I owe the Kim gang a favour. Just a few years, and I can stay if I want. It’s actually pretty okay here, so I don’t mind. It might look a little weird on my CV in a few years - foot soldier of the Korean Mafia - so I’ll probably stick with it as long as I can,” He explains, smiling at you genuinely. He doesn’t seem to actually care what’s going on, and you’re not sure if you feel sorry for him or if that’s a little worrying. You decide the thank him for walking you to the main hallway, saying you know the way from here. He leaves with another kind smile, before heading back in the direction he came.

You stride towards the dining hall with vigour. That boy is barely older than you, and Jin’s roped him into this! It’s disgusting, and you’d best believe that Jin is getting earful for it.

The doors of the dining hall crash open as you enter, and the two men in there look at you like you’re an angel of death. You don’t respond to V’s happy smile, and your eyes pass right over Jungkook to settle on your brother, who’s frozen with a bite of food halfway to his mouth. It’d be quite comical if you weren’t so furious,

“I can’t believe you Seokjin!” You shout, and you can see he’s taken aback. You don’t call him Seokjin often, “You rope teenagers into your little business like their lives don’t matter! Would you have done that to me if I hadn’t gone away? Trained me up like a lab rat because I needed some help? You’re horrible! You’re evil, you’re mean you’re- you’re immoral!” You stutter out. If you’d taken a moment to breathe, you might have seen that this isn’t only about the teenager thing. You’re hurting, but at the word ‘immoral’, Jin stands up silently. His entire aura demands respect, and not even you can deny it,

“I understand that you’re frustrated, but don’t just mindlessly throw insults at me. I’m still your brother, and you really should have some more respect for me. If you want to talk about something, tell me. I won’t turn you away if you have genuine concerns,” His voice doesn’t raise above the normal, but he remains standing. You clench your jaw as you stare at him, contempt in your eyes, “Would you like to join me for lunch? We can talk privately and I can send these two off somewhere. Despite what you may feel right now, you do take priority,”

You’re being handed exactly wat you want on a silver platter. What you really want is to sit down with your big brother and cry and ask him all the questions bouncing in your brain, just wanting to confide in someone. You’re well aware that he’s literally telling you that right now is the time to do that, but you’re not sure if you’re ready. He killed Jimin, traitor or not,

“No. I want to explore the mansion and eat some bread,” You tell him bluntly, and you’re sure that you hear Jungkook choke back a laugh. Jin’s eyes flicker back to his plate and he sits down, looking oddly dejected. You’re about to take your words back when he flicks a hand, telling Jungkook to go with you. The raven haired boy is just getting up when you interject, “No, I want to go with V. He’s nicer to me,”

That statement interests everyone in the room - Jungkook’s hurt by it. He’s the one who soothed your nightmare and held you while you cried. He was going to tell you everything, and he didn’t even have to! V likes the sound of it, knowing that Jungkook hasn’t worked his claws into you just yet. Jin thinks you’re implying that Jungkook’s mistreating you, and that doesn’t sit well with your big brother at all,

“Then go with V. I’ll have a word with Jungkook,”

“Don’t bother,” You immediately scoff, smiling at V as he gets up. His plate is still half full, but he doesn’t hesitate to open the door and bow in a mock-gentleman fashion. It makes you smile, distracting you from the tense room until Jin speaks,

“I dismissed the recruit. Even if you don’t like it here, or what goes on, I’m still proud of you. Standing up for yourself is hard, and I wish I could’ve seen you grow into the strong young woman that you are today,” Jin calls, but you don’t look back. You don’t even pause in your step, not caring if it hurts him. Jin’s the one that sent you away, and he’s the reason he didn’t see that. You don’t care about his excuse,

“You’re scary when you’re angry,” V teases you, closing the door behind him, “Now, you said something about exploring and bread?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You grow closer to a friend, urging him to make a big decisions.

Jin’s eyes are cool and unnerving as he sits back in his seat, not wanting to eat anymore. His encounter with you has put him off his food first and foremost, and he finds himself in need of addressing some business. Jungkook. If he’s mistreated you, and Jin finds his own trust misplaced, there will be hell to pay. You may not be particularly close with Jin anymore, but he still treasures you. He won’t have some new recruit mess around with you.

Jungkook is familiar with the tactic that Jin’s using on him. He wants to intimidate him, but Jin doesn’t know that much about Jungkook. He’s been subject to these kinds of tactics his entire life, and Jin is no different. It’s not too difficult to maintain eye contact, making clear that he won’t back down,

“Have you been mistreating Y/N?” Jin enquires, sitting forward and readjusting his suit jacket. He sorely misses the days when jeans were his daily attire. His aura is still filled with confidence though. It’s part of the job - exuding confidence to the point of arrogance out of every pore,

“No,” Is all Jungkook says. His eyes are hardened and trustworthy as they have been for a long time. His exterior is cool and collected, recognising that Jin will not be as friendly with him as he usually is. Well, not necessarily friendly. Just… not hostile. However, Jungkook’s mind is rife with thoughts of you, the past you share and regret for ever going through with the job. How could he have ever lied to you?

“Well, she must have meant something when she insisted that V is nicer to her. Why don’t you give me some theories?” Jin probes, and Jungkook doesn’t even flinch, despite knowing exactly what your problem with him is. He lied to you; he pretended to be someone else and befriended you. He didn’t realise at the time how much he might have hurt you by doing so,

“I was a little aggressive on that first night when V came to bring her for dinner, but that’s all I can think of. Maybe she just gets an odd vibe from me, and is trusting that,” Jungkook suggests, hating every word. Why is he so good at this? He doesn’t even have to try to manipulate well. It’s like it’s a talent,

“That may be true. You may know by now that I have a lot of faith in you, Jungkook, and that faith is hard to come by in this line of work. If you don’t like or trust V, then I’ll assume you have a good reason. Care to share it?”

Does Jungkook care to share it? What’s the information worth really? He’s not sure it’ll make much of a difference to things at the moment, and if V finds out that Jungkook’s been talking, it could only lead to more trouble for the raven-haired boy. Right now, what he knows wouldn’t benefit him to share, so there’s no point. Best wait for the right moment,

“I’m afraid I can’t. It’s sensitive information, and I couldn’t tell you one thing without telling you it all,” Jungkook says tactfully, and Jin nods carefully. He has no choice but to allow Jungkook this small victory. Besides, he’ll find out eventually. You can’t keep anything from the head of the biggest gang in Korea, “I simply knew V before I came here, and I’m not sure if his intentions are quite as pure as they seem,” Oh. That’s interesting. But Jin can’t wait around to pick it apart right now; he needs to be on his own for that.

After dismissing Jungkook, Jin makes his way up the main office, refusing to speak with anyone who asks for his time on the way there. That comment from Jungkook means something, and it fits into the maze Jin is wandering through.

Jin thinks of Jimin. He thinks of Jimin and how he could’ve gone unnoticed as a double agent for so long. How did he miss it? Was it blind trust? Was it a mistake? Or was it that Jin was so desperate for friendship and support that he was willing to buy anything? He never wanted to be a murderer. Like every young boy, Jin wanted to be an astronaut. A footballer. A chef. He wanted to be good, but now, seeing the blood of his friend on his hands, blood that will never wash off, Jin can’t believe that he is. When he started his investigation into his parent’s murder, he never thought it would lead him down this path of violence and ill-placed trust.

It’s when Jin sits on the back of desk, exhaling heavily that he spots something. Just something small, tucked away unassumingly beneath the leather couch. There shouldn’t be things in this office that Jin doesn’t know about, so it both intrigues him and terrifies him in equal parts.

It’s a camera. A small, compact, digital one. The kind you can buy in a computer store for a low price. Jin recognises it as easy to operate, with a good image quality. Perfect for close-quarters surveillance… it must be Jimin’s. What Jin holds in his hands - his bloodied, murderous hands - is all the proof that could verify or destroy the decision to murder his best friend. He physically shakes as he switches it on, desperate to know but terrified about what it could show him.

The pinboard - the one that Jin uses to track the progress of his investigation. It really is Jimin’s camera. Only him, Namjoon and Jimin have the key to unlock it. Short of breath, Jin races to open the cabinet and compare the images to the evidence in front of him. There are barely any new additions. It’s recent. Jimin must have been feeding this back to Suga, tracking every step Jin took.

Suga knows about the investigation.

He knows exactly what Jin does. How close he is, what he wants to find out next, exactly how he plans to do so. The only thing his rival doesn’t know is the endgame. Only Jin and Namjoon know that. The only record of it is kept private, locked in the most secure safe in this mansion. Jin can breathe again, knowing that he may be disadvantaged momentarily, he still has that. Suga doesn’t know for sure what he plans to do with the information he’s gathering.

However, this revelation does lead to new issues. Jin sets the camera down, momentarily forgetting it as the cogs in his brain whirr. He’s good at his job for a reason. Thinking is what Jin’s good at.

If Jimin was sent here to monitor Jin as an inside man, there’s no way that Suga doesn’t know about his death. All of Jin’s undercover workers check in regularly in some way, so there’s no way that Suga doesn’t have sustained contact with the man. Especially if he was reporting back with potentially time sensitive information, Jin is sure that Suga knows. It’s only a matter of time before there’s another person integrated into the business.

One way to solve that - no more new recruits. But if Suga knew Jin was close to the whole truth, he probably increased surveillance a few weeks ago. At least, that’s what Jin would do. He’s had to come to accept that he thinks like Suga does.

By following the same line of logic, that would single out the only new people in a position of power. V and Jungkook. Jungkook just said that he used to know V, and that he may not be trustworthy. That would imply that they perhaps trained with Suga, and Jungkook left shortly after. Maybe he ended up here by coincidence, and it’s V that’s the traitor. Maybe it’s the other way round.

Either way, it doesn’t matter much. Neither of them gets particularly sensitive information or access codes, and they’re good to have around for your sake. Particularly V. So with that in mind, Jin makes the decision to do nothing. If nobody comes to the same conclusion and challenges his integrity, that Jin can safely bide his time. Besides, killing off all of Suga’s spies would only clue him in that Jin knows what he’s up to. By leaving things as they are, he regains the upper hand that he unknowingly lost. Suga probably still thinks it’s safe to send his precious Hope here, no doubt. With at least some armed spies remaining, what could go wrong?

Kim Seokjin. That’s what.

 

“Thanks,” You murmur to V as he hands you a slice of bread. He genuinely went to the kitchen and stole half a loaf of bread, and you can’t say you’re surprised. V really is the kind of man to go and steal you bread if you want it, and show you all the best places in the mansion. Although it’s a huge place, you’re finding it easier and easier to find your way round. V’s already made the joke that you should leave bread crumbs in future so you don’t get lost.

As exciting as the mansion is - genuinely, it’s the kind you would only usually get to see a portion of on National History tours - you eventually get a little sick of being cooped up. With that in mind, you want to start seeing some more of the landscape. It’s largely just well-kept grass, but there are some ponds and small flowerbeds to look at. V is more than happy to take you to the duck pond,

“You know, bread is actually pretty bad for ducks,” He notes when you both start feeding them. A few came and jumped onto the bank beside you to grab at the bag in V’s hands. The smile on his face hurts your heart; it’s so genuine and wide as he tries to pet the ducks that you almost forget who he is,

“It’s just a little treat for them, I’m sure they’ll survive,” You assure him, half distracted by the ducklings swimming around with their mother duck. You find it so easy to talk to V, and the conversation progresses of its own accord. It eventually ends up revolving around him and his life choices,

“I know it’s not a great life, and it’s hardly sustainable when I lose my charm and my muscles,” He teases, smile wide before falling into something more serious, “But I don’t really have a choice now. There’s some 10 year gap in my employment history, so I couldn’t get a job without raising questions. I’m stuck here, really,” V sighs, but tries his best to smile at you to save you feeling too sorry for him,

“I wish I wasn’t stuck here,” You mope, handing over your last crust of bread to a shy duck who had hung back when the others charged over,

“You’re not stuck!” V protests, turning to you with excitement in his eyes, “You could do anything you want, go anywhere! If you asked Mr Kim nicely, he’d probably let you travel around and get a job and have a life of your own. This is not something a big brother would choose for his little sister,” He elaborates, hands moving wildly to emphasise his point,

“He’d probably make me take Jungkook with me,” You fire back, eyebrow raised challengingly. You’re not wrong. You couldn’t even go and explore the grounds without some kind of chaperone. You had someone watch over you while you slept on the first night, bring you down to breakfast… you don’t think you’ve been alone since you got here.

V tears you out of your thoughts with a scrunch of his nose, showing you that he doesn’t even like Jungkook’s name to be mentioned. You noticed that. When V came to take you down to dinner, and Jungkook got aggressive… they must have some kind of rivalry. Not that you blame V at all,

“I know that feeling! Why do you hate him?” You probe. There’s got to be an interesting story there, since V doesn’t seem like the type of person to dislike another so easily,

“I don’t want to go into detail, but I used to know Jungkook. I knew him quite a long time ago. He wasn’t a good person back then and I don’t believe that he is now,” V explains, expression indecipherable as he watches the ducks squabble over the last piece of bread. You nod absent-mindedly, wondering what the specifics could be, when V asks you a similar question, “What did he do to you? Apart from having the most mysterious vibe of the year, of course,”

You can’t even find it within yourself to laugh at V’s jab at the raven-haired man. The one who caused you so much happiness and pain. The one who comforted you and then abandoned you. You hadn’t had any particularly harsh feelings before, but now you know that he lied about who he was. You don’t even know if what he told you was true,

“You don’t have to tell me if it’s a sensitive subject. You can tell me to stop being so nosey, or you can blurt it out in a jumble of nonsense. Either way, nobody will ever know we discussed this at all,” V assures you, and that breaks the wall. Tears well up in your eyes as you think back to that painful time.

When you moved to America, it became clear that your auntie was very much a career woman, and wouldn’t be around much. That wasn’t so bad, but it did mean that you were mostly left alone to deal with your grief. Apart from contact with Namjoon and Jimin - barely ever with Jin - you were closed off. A few weeks later though, a boy just a little older than you moved in next door. His name was Jayden.

You were desperate for someone to help, so you opened up to him, and he opened up to you. He was a good friend to you, until he suddenly moved out. You’d brushed it off - Jayden had helped you through the worst bits anyway, so you were a little more capable of facing the world. And you did, until you came back here and you found out that Jayden wasn’t even real, it was just the story made up by one sick man. He fed off of your grief for God only knows what reason.

The friend who helped you through the darkness wasn’t even real,

“Hey, don’t cry,” V coos, putting an arm around you to pull you into his chest, “He’s not worth your tears, save them for someone who matters,” You sniffle as you try to pull yourself together, desperate not to lose control of your emotions. If you start properly crying, you’re not sure if you’ll ever stop. This new world is so painful, “Have you told Jungkook how you feel? Or anyone?” V asks, and you shake your head, pulling back to push your hair out of your face,

“No, he threatened me when I worked it out. I decided not to push it, and just go along with it,” V nods slowly at your response, but his mind is set. He knows he told you this would be in complete confidence, but V has to tell Seokjin what he just found out. He doesn’t want to betray your trust like that, but for your safety he has to tell Seokjin what’s going on. If Jungkook is working for Suga, then Seokjin needs to know he has someone who works for Suga, but who’s loyalty lies elsewhere. He wants to be Seokjin’s inside man.

His mind is set now.

After a few more minutes sat by the pond (and several attempts from V to get you to jump in), V declares that there’s one room he wouldn’t forgive himself for not telling you about. And with that statement, he runs off towards the mansion, his light-hearted giggle trailing behind him,

“V, this is amazing!” You gasp in awe, when he leads you into some kind of cinema room. He explained that it’s mainly used to show training videos, so you weren’t expecting much. The screen is huge, and although the seats aren’t the leathery heaven you find in cinemas, the seats are padded well and it looks comfortable. You can really see yourself watching movies curled up in a fluffy blanket here,

“If you want to, you can relax in here. I have to head up to briefing at 3pm and I don’t want to be late. Will you be okay?” V asks, and you smile in response as you mess around with the computer at the front of the room. You’re absolutely going to download Netflix. You don’t notice the way V’s face flushes, or how he shuffles awkwardly. You don’t notice that he’s lying to you,

“Yeah, do you know if there are any fluffy blankets here? It’d be nice to curl up under one,” You wonder out loud, and V snorts in response,

“You’re currently living in a mansion full of men who are content eating porridge for breakfast. You think they stock Disney films and cuddly pyjamas?” He teases, and you blush in embarrassment. He’s got a point, even if it does disappoint you. It would feel more homely with that personal touch, “No fear, V is here. I’ll grab you a duvet from one of the unused bedrooms, and request at briefing that they throw some cash your way for some nice things,” He assures you, and you thank him, slightly distracted as you log into Netflix.

V returns a few minutes later with one of the nicer duvets and a heat pack - he says they’re mostly used for muscle injuries, but this mansion can be so cold. You very nearly throw yourself into his arms to thank him but think better of it when you see V’s strained smile. It just breaks your heart, wondering if he’s nervous for briefing. It hardly sounds fun.

While you choose what to watch, V slips away. He hates lying, but he doesn’t want you to know that he’s about to go to see your brother and tell him most of what you just confided in him. If it wasn’t for your safety, he wouldn’t dare! V knows he isn’t a bad person.

He isn’t a bad person. That’s the mantra in his head as he explains to the guard by the security door that leads to Seokjin’s office that he needs to speak with him. V only wants the best for people, even if it involves admitting that he’s not been entirely truthful about his past.

Seokjin calls V in immediately, and he finds the tall man locking up a cabinet with old eyes on his face. When they face each other, V is sure that he sees a look of disgust flash across Jin’s face but maybe it’s a trick of the light. It’s probably just the projection of V’s inner turmoil,

“You wanted to speak with me?” Jin prompts, keeping a distance from V. He came to the conclusion that V is one of Suga’s inside men, and now here is in front of him. It’s tempting fate, and Jin doesn’t like it,

“Yes, I think I should tell you something. It’s a little sensitive,” V replies, voice lowered despite nobody being in their general vicinity. Jin sighs, anticipating his thoughts from earlier being confirmed. Just great. If V comes clean, Jin will have no choice but to dispose of him, regardless of how much you like him. He can’t afford to ignore these things publicly. It’ll send the wrong message, “Oh but first… I don’t think Y/N is totally comfortable here. I think it would be a good idea to allow some money to buy homely things like fluffy blankets and her favourite snacks,” V says first, not wanting to forget. Jin starts slightly at this,

“Oh, okay. That’s fine,” He says. That threw him off. He wasn’t expecting it, but he quickly regains his composure. This isn’t what V came to say, “Before you tell me your main point, let’s move to the office two door down. It’s soundproofed, and I don’t want anyone overhearing us,” Jin says, but that’s not why. He learned from his mistakes. If he has to silence V, it can’t be a spur of the moment thing like Jimin. It has to go unnoticed. For your sake,

“I was sent here by Suga to spy on you and your sister, and see if I could gain any sensitive information,” V says, and pauses, waiting for Seokjin to react. But, in true CEO style, Seokjin doesn’t even flinch. When he notices that V is waiting for a response, he sighs,

“I’d already suspected as much. Is this all you have to tell me? You’re not trying to kill me? I don’t think you’re even armed,” Jin notes, eyebrows pulling together in a slight frown. This isn’t making as much sense as he thought it would. At Seokjin’s words, V takes a deep breath, ready to explain his proposal,

“I’m not armed. Actually, I wanted to offer my services to you. I could help you get the upper hand on Suga. I know about your investigation and I think I could help! I can’t help him take you down, and I won’t. Y/N relies on you, and she’s too sweet and young. She lost her parents, and I refuse to let her lose her brother,” V babbles, worried that Jin already knew that. What if he’s already decided he doesn’t want V’s help? Then he has nothing! He’ll have to leave the mafia completely, and like he told you earlier, he can’t do that,

“What do you mean? How could you help me get the upper hand?” Jin prompts, feeling his emotions rise. V mentioned the investigation. He does know about it, and that can’t be good. He subtly shifts in his spot, feeling the revolver tucked into his pocket,

“I could go back to Suga and tell him that I couldn’t find anything out. I could feed you back information about what he plans to do and help you stop him from finding out how you’re progressing. I just want to make up for my mistakes,” He protests, voice falling to a whisper for his last stamen. But Jin still hears,

“What mistakes?” Jin barks, throwing caution and composure to the wind. If V says what Jin thinks he’s about to say, it won’t matter if the man sees him losing his temper. V shifts on his feet and looks at the floor, unable to meet Jin’s eyes,

“I was involved that night,” He hisses, barely audible over the sound of his own thumping heart, “Jimin gave me access to the security network, and I shut the CCTV down. I killed the alarms and I gave the all clear for the killer to move in. I didn’t mastermind it but… I managed all ground-level work,”

That’s it. There was a missing link. A gap in the pinboard that haunted Jin. How did the killer get in? Even with an inside man, even with Jimin right there to let them in, how did they bypass security? Turns out Jin was missing just one letter. V,

“Who’s the killer, V?” Jin commands, voice shaking with breathlessness. He’s so close he can almost taste it. His fingers twitch towards his pocket, but he tries desperately to remain neutral as they stand here discussing the murder of his parents,

“J-Hope,” That’s exactly what Jin wanted to hear. He has access to Hoseok,

“How often do you contact Suga?” He questions, and if he hears what he wants to hear, he can take the next step. V’s answer seals his fate,

“I was told not to bother unless I uncovered something time sensitive. I haven’t contacted him yet, but I can if you want me to. I just want to do right by you,” V pleads, sensing the desperation of the situation. Jin doesn’t care though. That’s exactly what he needed to hear,

“Is that all? Anything else to tell me?” Jin can barely keep the growl out of his voice, and when V shakes his head, indicating that he’s told him everything, Jin acts. He pulls the revolver out of his pocket with a sick smile and puts it to V’s forehead. He ignores the wounded look of betrayal and pulls the trigger. You don’t get anywhere being merciful in this business. As the shot rings in his ear and the lifeless form of V collapses backwards, Jin finds himself with a sad smile, “Five,”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody is being absolutely honest with you at the moment.

It’s a little past 6 when you finally kick the duvet off of yourself, just about ready for dinner. It was nice of Taehyung to find you this duvet, and even though the heat pack is cold now, it was nice to have. It also means you know where to go on a cold day! Not that you pan to be here until the winter. Oh, who knows. You’ll just have to take it as it comes.

You stretch your arms over your head and switch off the screen, wondering if Jin’s around to take dinner with you, and if V will be able to join you. It was nice to hang out with him for a little bit today, and it’s a huge weight off of your chest to confide in him the thing about Jungkook. It’s made it just a little less awful to deal with.

When you leave the cinema room, leaving your duvet in the corner neatly, you’re almost overwhelmed by how many people are rushing around. Recruits and official looking men that dress like Jin and Namjoon are bustling around with the same energy and urgency. It’s daunting, but then you see someone you know,

“Hey!” You call spotting the recruit you met in Namjoon’s class - the one who was nice to you and showed you the way to the dining room - and wave him over. He looks pressed for time, but still looks quite happy to see you. He waves back and stands in the doorway with you,

“Hey, are you okay? What are you doing? Why are you down here?” He asks, eyes darting around the busy corridor. You explain to him that your friend, V, showed you the cinema room and you wanted to come out for dinner. His eyes soften with sadness, and you’re just about to ask what you said wrong when Jin appears from seemingly nowhere, Jungkook by his side,

“You need to head back to the accommodation block. You have no business around here,” Jin says firmly, and you see the poor boy’s eyes bulge. He probably hasn’t been addressed by the Head of the Mafia very often, and the scolding tone is probably mortifying. You wave him off sheepishly, “Jungkook, round up all recruits and head in the same direction. They’re only getting in the way,” Jin says dismissively, not even looking back. Jungkook nods once before turning on his heel and heading into the middle of the corridor.

Jin guides you gently by the elbow trough the thinning crowds, and tries his best to be heard by you over the sound of Jungkook’s authoritative voice,

“There’s been a bit of an issue tonight, but before I brief Namjoon and Jungkook along with you, I want you to eat a good meal. I’ll order your favourite,” Jin tells you, heading towards the dining room. You might have been mad at him earlier, but you don’t have the energy to keep it up for too long. He’s trying his best here, even if sometimes you do forget it.

He sits you down in the seat he normally takes, and is halfway through apologising for not being able to join you when Namjoon bursts in. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him like this. His suit jacket flies out behind him dramatically when he throws the doors open, his blonde hair is an unstyled mess from having him run a hand through it too many times and his jaw is set angrily. He looks downright intimidating,

“Seokjin, what the fuck where you thinking? You can’t just-“ He shouts, but stops short when he sees your shocked face. Namjoon was always so careful never to lose his temper around you, knowing it can be quite scary. So, with that in mind, he clears his throat and straightens up. His shoulders relax and he buttons up his suit jacket to give his hands something to do. His eyes look anywhere but you and Jin,

“Sorry, could you wait outside for a moment, Namjoon? I just need a few moments to fix Y/N dinner, and then we can discuss my decisions,” Jin replies calmly, and you look up at your big brother with a little bit of awe. Sometimes he’s capable to just flick a switch and turn his emotions off. After recent events, you wish you could do that too. It doesn’t take long for Jin to feel satisfied that you’ll be taken care of, and gets up to leave, “I’ll come back in about 25 minutes and explain everything to you, but please just stay here. As you saw, it’s havoc out there,” Jin says with a small smile.

He’s got his hand on the door handle when he stops short, as if remembering something. Jin then turns back to you and reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out a folded up piece of paper. He hands it to before leaving, shooting you a final smile as he watches you gently unfold it, and lay it out in front of you.

It’s a hand drawn map of the mansion.

You look over it slowly, running your fingers delicately over the pencil smudges and scrawled notes that Jin wrote. It’s surprisingly detailed, and it almost hurts your heart to look at. Even when your dinner arrives, you eat slowly, barely tasting it as you try to look at every last inch on the paper before you. It hurts because you feel so alone, and yet at the same time, you’re not. The time you’ve spent here has made you realise that you barely know your brother, but he’s still the boy you grew up with deep down.

You remember your first day of high school. Jin had already graduated, but he still remembered every twist and turn of the halls, all of the classrooms and the quickest routes to them. He’d drawn you a map just like this to try and help you get through it. You probably still have it in storage with the rest of your things, having been unable to throw it away even when you didn’t need it anymore.

There are small stick figures in the main office (labelled Jin and Namjoon) that look to be waving at you, and there are small hearts in the space around them. It’s little touches like this that make it clear that Jin hasn’t truly changed. Just like in the map he drew you for school, he’s written notes to let you know the best places for things - “best sunlight on the ground”, “bunnies live here”, “first view of sunset from this balcony”.

You’ve barely finished eating when Jin comes back in, and for you, seeing your big brother is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Before Jin can even blink, you’re crying as you clumsily hurry towards him, the map still laid out in front of where you were sat.

Jin was expecting this sooner or later. You haven’t been here for very long at all, and you’ve had to deal with so much. So much information has come your way, and so much emotion along with that, to the point where Jin was about to start getting worried that you hadn’t broken down yet. You weren’t born into this life, and Jin hates that he’s had to drag you into it without any warning.

Tears dampen Jin’s shirt as you cry into his shoulder, clinging to him like he’s your lifeline. Even if he’s been distant, that map showed you that he’s still your brother. No matter what he says or does, he still loves you. The tears don’t stop, and you find yourself not crying about the gesture, but about everything else. You cry for losing Jimin; for the life the young recruit was forced into; for V’s compassion after such a hard time; for the confusion Jungkook has caused you; for the discovery of new truths and the knowledge that nothing will ever be the same.

 

“What do you know about V?” Namjoon demands, his features a far cry from the soft dork you grew up with. It’s a blessing that you’re not here now, so Namjoon gets all the freedom in the world to figure out what Jungkook really knows. When Jin handed over the bullet casing in the same manner he did after killing Jimin, he’d told the younger man that Jungkook knew something, but didn’t divulge the information. Jin knows now that it was the fact that V was originally one of Suga’s spies, but he just wants to check that Jungkook’s reasons for knowing are genuine. Namjoon needs to find out if Jungkook knows anything more. He’s looking to catch him in a lie,

“I don’t know anything other than what I discussed with Mr Kim,” Jungkook replies, voice icy cold. He’s been subject to interrogation before. In the past, he faced a violent interrogation from J-Hope shortly after returning from America. So, Kim Namjoon, who tucks you into bed at night? He’s got nothing on the psycho who’s allowed to roam free without a leash,

“There were some things you withheld, I was told,” Namjoon probes. He knows this gentle tactic won’t get anywhere with a kid like Jungkook. He’s not desperate or weak, but Namjoon won’t hurt him. He’s not the kind that Namjoon usually deals with - he’s good at interrogating the scum of the earth type characters, who he has no problem slapping around. He won’t hurt Jungkook though. The organisation isn’t that desperate for whatever information he’s withholding,

“Yes, but I stand by that. Nothing has changed since what happened with V,” Jungkook replies. Despite being constantly on edge about V being a spy, it’s never nice to hear that someone was killed. There’s so much death and destruction, and as a younger member of this world Jungkook notices it more than people like Namjoon or the other high-ranking staff do,

“Look, I’m not trying to find out this information just to spite you. If it’s important, I need to know it. I want to make this place safe for Y/N. They-“ Namjoon falters and breaks eye contact, “They said they were coming for her and Seokjin next, and I can’t lose anymore people. The Kim’s were good people, and I thought Jimin was too,” Jungkook swallows in shock. He hadn’t known that the aim was to kill you eventually, and that shines a whole new light on everything. Still, it’s best to keep it quiet,

“I don’t have any information that could help you, but if I did I would share it,” Jungkook says calmly, despite it not being strictly true. Maybe the knowledge of being sent to America as Jayden would help them piece some things together, but it might be totally irrelevant and only cause him trouble. So it’s best to say nothing.

Namjoon’s about to respond with something cutting, but at that moment Jin comes in. Your eyes are puffy and red, so Namjoon allows his face to soften. Jin nods to the two men as he tells you to go and sit with Namjoon. You’re more than grateful to sit with him. Even though crying to Jin was comforting, it’s like there’s something holding him back from being honest with you. You wish your real brother could be as open as your ‘nearly brother’.

You squeeze into the big leather chair next to Namjoon without much of a struggle, and he doesn’t mind if it’s a bit cramped. You look like you need the contact, and he doesn’t hesitate to rest a hand on your knee, giving it a brotherly squeeze. He’s always been better at comforting you than Jin, especially in recent years.

Jin settles himself on the couch, barely even glancing Jungkook’s way. He’s still sat in the slightly uncomfortable chair in front of Jin’s desk, and given Namjoon’s expression when he first walked in, the cross-examination didn’t get very far. That’s fine though, Jin wasn’t really expecting it to. He draws a deep breath before speaking, reluctant to drop the whole honest truth on you,

“Earlier today, I confronted V about being a spy being sent to watch us and feed back to Suga. I believe he was trying to ruin our organisation and gather information about our innermost personnel,” Jin explains, and he can already feel your disbelief from across the room. He turns to look at you as your scoff,

“You’re wrong,” You state simply, and you’re so busy with your own scepticism that you don’t see Namjoon’s horror. He’s watches his friend lie straight to your face, entirely unprompted. This business really has changed him. But Jin ignores the stare and shakes his head at you,

“I’m sorry, but it’s what happened. Shortly after the confrontation, V went missing. Nobody’s been able to find him since,” Jin knows there’s some holes in his story. For example, why would he leave a suspected traitor unattended? How did he work out that he was a spy? But Jin’s counting on you being too angry to look closely at his false story, as that’s all that’s going to save you from hearing the truth.

You stare at Jin, unmoving and simply refuse to take it in. So, V’s a spy? He just ran away? You didn’t mean anything to him and he spent time with you out of charity or something. First Jimin was a traitor and now V! It’s like you only get close to people who will end up hurting you. The third example being Jayden. This is all too much, and you’re feeling overwhelmed all over again. You get up in a huff and stride towards the door,

“Whatever. I don’t even care anymore. I’m going back to the cinema room,” You say, and you can practically feel Jin wanting to stop you, “Alone!” You shout over your shoulder, before slamming the door. That felt good. Jin, Jungkook and Namjoon can be bad people alone in that office, and you will seek comfort in your duvet and more films. The ways things should be. The way things have been for years.

The moment the door closes behind you, Namjoon’s head snaps to Jin’s and he shoots the older man a hard stare,

“What the fuck was that? That wasn’t the truth, or even close to it,” He all but snarls. Haven’t you been lied to enough recently? Jin nods, a certain mildness about his face that Namjoon wasn’t expecting. Jin can be fiercely defensive of his decisions at times, but this time he’s actually agreeing,

“I know, but I thought it was best to let her think V is still alive. They seemed to quite like each other, and I don’t think she could take much more loss. Not after Jimin, and everything I’ve told her. I couldn’t do it to her,” Jin sighs, saying it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “I just wanted to protect her,” Namjoon shakes his head, knowing that lying will only cause more pain in the future. The truth won’t stay hidden forever, but Jin is your brother. It’s his decision.

It’s at that moment that Jungkook shifts his weight, feeling a little uncomfortable in this situation. He feels like an intruder, and by the way the two men glare at him, it’s clear that they feel the same. Namjoon’s eyes trace over the boy before focussing back on Jin, all anger evaporated instantly,

“He stuck to his story, and wouldn’t tell me anything more. I still think it’s suspicious, but if he won’t talk, then it’s on his head,” Namjoon informs Jin, and Jungkook hates it. Why do people talk about him like he’s not there? Just because he doesn’t fit in or they think he’s odd. It’s not fair. So, with that in mind, he’s glad when Jin dismisses him,

“Go and have dinner, Jeon. There’s a lot of work to do tomorrow off the back of this discovery,” Jungkook doesn’t even pause to think about what that means, having only one person on his mind. The only one who’s never intentionally made him feel like he’s unworthy of love.

Namjoon slumps back in the chair to talk with Jin more comfortably. Jungkook may not have been listening to the comment that Jin made, but Namjoon definitely was. What more could they do with what they found out? Jin looks at Namjoon with a slightly psychotic grin when he asks, more than happy to explain,

“I know who killed my parents. Not only that, it’s shown me exactly how to dethrone Suga,”

 

 

Jungkook finds you in the cinema room, exactly where you said you’d be. He feels just a little dejected, and he couldn’t think of anyone he wanted to see more than you, so here he is. Even if you don’t trust him at the moment, he trusts you. All Jungkook wants is for things to go back to how they were in America. The only things that have changed is that he’s here now, with you, of his own accord, and you know his real name,

“Go away,” You call without missing a beat. You don’t know that it’s Jungkook, but you don’t want any company at all. But Jungkook doesn’t listen, instead sitting down in the seat next to you and wriggling himself under the duvet. Outraged (and still a little angry) you pause the film and turn to tell him to leave, but then you see his eyes. He looks so young in that moment. So young and desperate that it would be cruel to make him go. Jungkook looks vulnerable, and you remember the promise you made to yourself not too long ago. You promised to try and hold onto your kindness, and not turn into the kind of heartless monster that throws themselves into this job entirely. It’s time to hold yourself to that promise, “Fine, you can stay,” You sigh, “But I haven’t forgiven you. Puppy eyes don’t make up for what you’ve done,”

When you switch the movie back on you find yourself feeling oddly comforted by Jungkook’s presence. Despite the fact that he did lie to you in America, and you still don’t know why, you’re beginning to realise that he as a person is exactly the same. Kind at heart, bad at showing it, slightly awkward and an overgrown child. Maybe one day you could forgive him.

It doesn’t take long for you to fall asleep. It takes longer for Jungkook to realise. He smiles fondly, and scolds you in his head for sleeping in such an awkward position. You’ll hurt your neck like that, so Jungkook can’t just leave you like this. He picks you up carefully and carries you slowly up to your room, cautious not to wake you. It’s such a natural thing for him to do, and it hurts to think that you’re in the dark about so much. But, like Jin, Jungkook knows that you’ve been through enough. You don’t need what could be a re-kindled friendship ruined by the truth.

When you’re tucked into bed, Jungkook leaves to go and take a late dinner. If the cooks aren’t willing to make him something, he’ll just have a sandwich or something. But at the last second, he stops. You’re probably hesitant to let Jungkook back in, and that’s probably because you’ve put a line between Jungkook and Jayden. To you, they’re not the same person. Jungkook wants you to see that he is the kind boy who befriended you when you were so alone, so he grabs the notepad he keeps in his pocket and scrawls just 7 words for you to read in the morning. He leaves it on your bedside table.

 

It’s late when you wake up the next morning. Too early for lunch, but too early for breakfast. That’s fine, though. You feel refreshed, so you get up to shower without even needing to persuade yourself. You can probably just wander around the grounds until you can get lunch, and see if Namjoon has anything for you to do.

When you’re all clean and ready to start the day, you spot a scrap of paper on your bedside. You pick it up carefully as you read it, and the words stab you in the heart just a little: “I’m Jayden - just with a different name”. Your mind is cast back to last night and how comforted you felt next to him. You also realise that he must have brought you up to bed after you fell asleep. He’s trying his best… maybe you could forgive him just a little. He’s still a liar and has some explaining to do, but maybe having a friend here wouldn’t be so bad. It’s not like you have any others now that V’s ran off.

Lost in thought, you step out of your bedroom and straight into Jungkook’s chest. You jump half a foot off the ground as you wonder what you’re meant to say. You’d promised yourself you’d say something next time you saw him, but you were hoping it wouldn’t be for a while! Luckily, Jungkook’s been thinking about this all night and all morning, so he has a little more of an idea,

“Did you get my note?” He asks, trying to sound confident but really sounding just a bit hesitant. You can’t do anything but nod in response, “What did you think? It’s okay if you don’t agree, I just wanted you to know,” Jungkook assures you, giving you a clear path out if you want it. But you don’t want it. You want to stick to your promise of compassion, and just hope that he had a good reason to lie to you,

“Maybe we could go for lunch later? Or talk. You have some explaining to do,” You fire back, not meaning to sound as hostile as you do, but the words just come out like that. It’s probably better that way, so Jungkook doesn’t think that you’re some kind of doormat. He smiles in such a child-like and innocent way that you find yourself smiling in response. Jungkook then offers you his arm in a far more mocking way than back at the airport. Rolling your eyes, you take it, “You’re lucky that you’re the only person left here that can be my friend,” You grumble, mostly teasing,

“But what about that young recruit? He seems to take your fancy,” Jungkook teases, letting you know that he’s ready to put the past behind him if you are. Regardless, you don’t appreciate the jab, and laugh just a little as you elbow him,

“Don’t push it, Jeon!”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're asked to do something unreasonable to help the organisation.

Namjoon and Jungkook come into the main office at the same time, but Namjoon looks far more at ease. He’s been called in for a private meeting with Jin far more than Jungkook has, so he sits down on the leather couch with a more relaxed stance. Jungkook sits next to him, back stiff. Jin is leaned up against the front of his desk, which Namjoon notes as a show of his calmness. Whatever he’s called them in to talk about has probably already been set in stone,

“I want to meet with J-Hope again to go over the last meeting we had. The conditions have changed,” He says, eyes fixed on Namjoon. He’s not being entirely honest, but his eyes say ‘go with it’. So Namjoon does, knowing he won’t be able to persuade his friend otherwise. Best go with the easy way,

“I agree. I noticed that too, and think that as long as we’re on speaking terms, we might as well try to keep things as civil as possible,” He adds, and both men then throw a glance to Jungkook. He nods to appease them, but he’s uncertain of his position here. He’s not in the inner circle of the Kim Mafia, so why he would be included is beyond him. Jungkook’s not stupid. He can see the way that Jin and Namjoon are looking at each other, and there’s something they’re not telling him. Maybe they’ve worked out who he is and they’re waiting for him to slip up.

The thing is, Jungkook does not want anyone here to meet with J-Hope. The ‘Jayden’ thing was his idea, but he can’t outright say things like that. It’ll get him killed. He’s the last potential rat left here,

“I asked Jungkook to be here because I’ve actually already organised the meeting,” Jin continues, and Namjoon scoffs. There it is. Jin did already decide, “And he’s requested Y/N’s presence, which then extends to Jungkook, in my opinion,” Jungkook’s heart drops at that. Not only does this give him an excuse to object, he genuinely doesn’t want you there,

“And you agreed?” Jungkook says with a tone of incredulity, “I’m sorry, I have to protest. Do you not remember how it went last time she saw the psycho? It was just seconds, and she was so shaken up. This could break her,” He continues, almost rambling. Jungkook barely even knows how to voice his opinion, too frenzied by what he feels. He just can’t let this meeting happen. He could fill a book with the reasons why,

“Jungkook, I wouldn’t ask this of her if I thought there was any danger. In fact, we’ve recently employed a psychologist who she can see if she truly feels that she needs help. We all seem to forget that she is an adult, and is fully capable,” Jin replies calmly, appreciating Jungkook’s sentiment. The kid’s heart is in the right place,

“Fine. I’ll sit with her and try to support her if that’s what you want, but I won’t speak or participate in that meeting. I want to wear my face mask too. I don’t want to end up on J-Hope’s hit list,” Jungkook protests, and both other men understand his concern. Anyone working for the Kim’s could be killed for it, but they really can’t risk anything. Not even a mask,

“Masks are off the table entirely. I understand your concern, but we don’t know how J-Hope might take it. They imply deception, and with someone as unhinged as him, I will not take the risk. This life isn’t without risk, I concede, but you must be willing to gamble occasionally,” Jin says calmly, and for the first time since he joined this organisation, Jungkook feels as though Jin is speaking to him as an equal. He appreciates that,

“Okay. No masks. Is that everything I need to know?” Jungkook asks, and Jin nods, dismissing him with a rare smile. The elder man looks friendlier when he smiles, but maybe that’s why he doesn’t do it much. Not that anyone here has much of a reason to smile in the first place.

As Jungkook wanders through the halls, he contemplates his dilemma. The reason that he was in America has so far gone undiscovered by you, and Jungkook would rather it stay that way. He’s just gotten you to trust him again.

Jin sent you to America to protect you. Those who had murdered his parents had threatened the same fate for you and Jin, and the only way to stop it when they had no leads was to hide you away. Only, in his grief, Jin hadn’t hidden his tracks very well. It didn’t take much for Suga (well, his staff) to work out where you were and send someone to find you. They already suspected that Jin would open an investigation of his own, so they needed to establish if you were a threat, and if you needed to be disposed of quickly.

The easiest way to establish this kind of connection was through the new pretty boy recruit Jungkook. They sent him after you with the alias Jayden to befriend you and work out how much you knew and if you were working alongside your brother in his investigation. If you were deemed a threat, Jungkook would have killed you. But not only did he see no threat at all, he saw a young girl who needed comfort. Jungkook fell for you.

Like him, you were alone. You were an orphan in need of comfort, and you offered him the comfort he needed while you sought your own. The only thing Jungkook ever lied to you about was his name and why he had moved. Everything else was true.

But regardless of how much was true and how much was part of his deception, it was still wrong. Even now you don’t know the whole truth. You think Jungkook lied about his name because he was scared of getting too close to someone. Occupational hazard of his personality, you dubbed it.

Despite all of that, you decided to start forgiving him. Jungkook truly believes that you’re an angel - especially right now as you bound up to him with a big smile just four days after he left you that note, asking how his meeting went. Jungkook scrunches up his nose childishly, reminding you of his deep hatred for meetings and anything professional. He doesn’t even like his suit,

“I’m glad I don’t have to go to any. Perks of being a woman, I can get anything with puppy eyes,” You tease, and Jungkook has to resist the urge to ruffle your hair to annoy you, “But I am taking my first class alone today! Well, I have to have someone more experienced than me to oversee, but I think that’s just Jin’s protective streak. I’ll be pretty much totally in charge, and I’m actually quite excited,” You all but babble, and Jungkook’s heart throbs. You’ve really come out of your shell recently, and Jungkook does secretly attribute some of that to his own influence,

“Who have you chosen? Is it Namjoon? I can imagine Seokjin recommending your slightly less overbearing big brother to be there after your first session,” Jungkook jokes, trying not to sound disappointed. That’s when he notices your slight blush, and the way you hesitate before replying,

“I was kind of hoping you’d come with me - as nice as Namjoon is, I think he sometimes forgets how capable I am, and he steps in just a little more than I would consider ideal,” You explain, not wanting Jungkook to get a big head and think that you genuinely want to spend time with him. That needs to stay a secret while you work on forgiving him.

“That’s sweet, of course I’ll help out,” Jungkook says, wondering why you’re so cute. Your eyes aren’t quite meeting his, instead settling on his forehead. It’s endearing, so he offers his arm in the gentlemanly way that’s become more common with the two of you, “Did you eat a good breakfast? It’s the most important meal of the day,” You scoff at that and shake your head,

“I’m not like you guys, who get up at 6am for who even knows what. I slept late, so I missed it,” You tell him. You’ve been missing breakfast a lot recently, but that’s only because the on-site cooks only serve breakfast until 8am, and there’s no way you’re getting up for that! Luckily, Jungkook seems to have an answer for everything,

“Well, we can’t have that on your big day. Let’s get something to eat,” He tells you, leading you through to the kitchens. There’s nobody in at the moment, so it’s the perfect time to raid the place for snacks. For someone so well built, you wouldn’t expect him to wolf down food like he does, but everything here is full of surprises.

The kitchen is as grand as the rest of this place, with high cupboards and enough space to cook for an army. To be fair, that’s pretty much what they do. They provide five-stare meals for the higher ranking officials, and general food for the recruits. The staff only stock ingredients for that - or so you thought. Jungkook grabs a stepladder and then throws you down a pack of chocolate biscuits with a triumphant smile,

“What is this? Why would a mafia stock chocolate biscuits,” You ask in disbelief, taking out a few for yourself and handing the packet over to Jungkook. You’re not complaining, though. It beats nothing!

“Why would they buy fluffy blankets and hot water bottles with nice patterns on them?” Jungkook teases, but instantly hears the words that came out of his mouth. It was V who asked Jin to invest some money on making you more comfortable, and these things often remind you of how he ran off just when you started to open up to him. Realising his mistake, Jungkook quickly stuffs three biscuits in his mouth (with sound effects), giving him the sweetest chubby cheeks to make you smile again. He hates when you frown,

“I don’t even know how a child like you made it so far in this world!”

 

Jin thanks the staff with a nod as they set down four plates of food for dinner, before leaving him and Namjoon to discuss tomorrow’s meeting in peace. Namjoon isn’t happy at all, but has yet to extract Jin’s true intentions. The boss has managed to completely brush over the finer details of the meeting, which hurts Namjoon’s head. He was called here to help, and Jin doesn’t seem to be letting him do that,

“Look, I just want to know if your reasons are a little more murderous than they seem to be,” Namjoon asks, not really expecting an answer out of Jin. He’s very good at dodging questions, and this has only become apparent as of late. Luckily, he doesn’t even have to employ his skills this time. You and Jungkook walk in loudly, talking about how well the class went,

“Really, he looked like he was about to wet himself when you confronted him, it was amazing!” Jungkook practically gushes, and Namjoon and Jin are simultaneously painfully reminded of a love sick puppy. His eyes hold stars as he pulls your chair out for you without thinking,

“I heard some very good feedback. You did a great job,” Namjoon tells you, a dimpled smile settling onto his face. The frown lines that have been developing on his forehead seem to vanish as you lock eyes with him, smile shining like the sun,

“I agree. You have a knack for this, exactly as I knew you would. I’m proud of you,” Jin adds, eyes containing a warmth you haven’t seen in too long. It’s comforting, and your heart bursts with joy at his words. It didn’t seem possible for you to smile any brighter, but you definitely do. You look like you’ve blossomed here, despite the hardships you’ve had to face.

Dinner passes in the same manner, with a generally uplifting atmosphere. But of course, this place can’t have nice things, and all good things eventually come to an end. You’re about to leave the table to settle down in the cinema room when Namjoon stops you, shoulders sinking. He wishes he didn’t have to do this, but he volunteered himself for the position. Jin telling you this could only strain your relationship further, so he gets off easy. The elder of the two shoots Namjoon a thankful look before excusing himself and Jungkook,

“He’s about to explain the J-Hope situation, so we’d best give them some privacy,” Jin hisses under his breath, and Jungkook nods. He doesn’t question it, for once. The raven-haired boy has gotten very comfortable in this environment, but Jin doesn’t mind. He seems to be taking good care of his sister, and that’s far more important than most other things.

Namjoon sits back in the chair, and looks at you with a guarded expression. What Jungkook said was entirely correct - this could really hurt you. You didn’t grow up in this world, and the last time you saw J-Hope you were very shaken. But there’s no way around it, and Namjoon has to just say it,

“Do you remember J-Hope?” Namjoon asks tentatively. You stiffen in your seat at the very mention of the name, and nod. Of course you remember. Several night terrors have come your way over that man. His dark eyes, his leer, the air of murder around him… J-Hope is lethal, and you don’t need first-hand experience to know that, “Well, we need to meet with him,” Namjoon continues, and his hesitation makes your heart drop. You think you know what's coming, “And he’s asked for you to attend the meeting as a kind of condition,” There it is. Exactly what you were expecting,

“I won’t do it, Namjoon. It’s unfair of you to ask me that. Haven’t I been through enough here?” You demand, voice flushing with anger. You can’t believe that Namjoon of all people is asking this of you. He told you that he understood how you felt, but clearly he doesn’t. The last thing you want is to sit in a small room with that psycho,

“I know, but you won’t be in any danger. Jungkook will be right there with you. There will be exactly 5 people in that meeting, and you’re one of them. Jungkook, me and Jin will be there. You think we’d let anything happen to you?” Namjoon pauses, waiting for the response he knows won’t come, “This meeting isn’t happening without conditions of our own. J-Hope is the only one coming, and he’s not allowed to touch you, or even attempt to. If he does something that visibly upsets you and at least two of us agree that it’s damaging, you can leave. We care about you,” Namjoon explains with a tone of urgency, but you’re glaring at him with disgust,

“I’ll just get Jungkook and Jin to vouch me out as soon as they can, I refuse to play a part in this,” You hiss, and Namjoon sighs. He understands Jin a lot better now. Why he chooses to lie about certain things, why he sent you to America, why he’s no longer so close to you. Namjoon’s always been the nice guy, the big brother who would give you ice cream and buy you things. Jin was always the bad guy, but now the roles are reversed and Namjoon doesn’t like it,

“This isn’t my fault, I’m simply bringing you the news. Please try to understand that. Plus, both men understand the importance of this meeting, and will not jeopardise it unless necessary. Actually, Jungkook protested you going there in the first place, so I would suppose you only needed me or Jin to agree it’s too damaging. Jungkook already thinks so,” Namjoon tells you, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. He’s not angry with you, just frustrated that you can’t see it his way.

At his words, you realise that your argument is falling to deaf ears here. You lean back in your chair, utterly defeated and sigh. Things were just starting to look nice in this place, like you could really do something and fit in, but now this is happening. It looked like J-Hope wanted to kill you that day, and you don’t want to wait around for that to happen.

Namjoon can see the anguish on your face, and his heart melts. You don’t deserve this. Namjoon knows that, and so does everyone else who meets you. You’re too kind and gentle to be hurt like this, but unfortunately the world doesn’t care about kind. It will just keep coming at you like it does to everyone else. Especially in this business, kind just gets you killed,

“I’m sorry that this is happening,” Namjoon says softly, getting up to hug you. You rest your face on his chest with a sigh, and Namjoon’s arms wrap around your shoulders tightly, “You’re doing so well, and I promise that it won’t always be like this. One day, it’ll be easier. I promise you,” Before you can ask what he means, Namjoon is telling you that it might be best to head up to bed early. Even if you just go and watch some calm movies in the cinema room, you should be resting. Tomorrow won’t be easy, although that information was already apparent to you.

 

You wake up far too early the next morning with a pain in your neck. You’d ended up falling asleep in the cinema room, and you now wish you’d just dragged yourself up to bed. But either way, you’re awake now and you can tell that you won’t fall back asleep easily. You’ll be sat in the meeting with J-Hope in just a few hours, and that’s enough to put you on high alert.

The halls are empty as you wander up to your bedroom, taking your time. It’s eerily quiet at this time, with most people still asleep. It’s better in the comforts of your bedroom, though, and you take a shower without feeling as if a demon is creeping up on you. It’s picking out your clothes that you struggle with. You know it won’t make much difference, but you kind of want to wear something plain, as if that’ll keep J-Hope’s eyes off of you. In the end, you go for black jeans and a grey top. Simple and uninteresting. You wish your life could be as bland as your clothes.

After you’re (regrettably) ready for the day, you check the clock to see that you still have at least two hours before you need to go down to the meeting room. The kitchens are probably open for breakfast, but you’re not hungry. You don’t want to throw up, so you decide to just wander around. The halls are still mostly empty, but a few bleary-eyed men are walking around. A few smile and nod their heads, but most let you get on with your own business. Nobody stops to talk.

Eventually, you find yourself climbing their stairs to the corridor of the private offices, where Jin’s main office is. The security guard at the door looks friendly, but doesn’t try to make conversation as he lets you through.

You wander round all of the offices in the corridor, but most are plain conference rooms. Another is an office like Jin’s, but empty. You check the drawers, but there’s just a paperclip in one of them. You wonder if maybe it belonged to Jimin, but quickly push the thought out of your mind. You’re getting good at that.

By comparison, you realise that Jin must spend a lot of time in his office. It’s always warm, and his chair smells like him. His desk isn’t disorganised, but it’s got a lot on it. You look through it with little interest, nothing ground breaking catching your eye.

Nosey by nature, you find yourself looking around the office properly. You don’t root through the drawers or anything, but you do open a few and look in. It’s mostly boring business things. It’s strange to see this side of the mafia - spreadsheets and employee files. You guess even those on the bad side of the law have to stay organised. You also find a sweet picture of you and Jin as children. You don’t remember the day it was taken, but you’re only about three or four in the picture.

It doesn’t take long for you to get bored at Jin’s desk, so you wander over to the large cabinet that covers the side wall. You glance over the pictures of your parents, but your main focus is the locked doors that hold the board of Jin’s investigation. You wonder if you could help if he let you, but you don’t have a key. You’re about to start picking the lock purely out of boredom when Jin hurries into his office, face slightly red,

“Here you are. Jesus Christ, you scared all of us when you didn’t turn up for breakfast, and you weren’t in your bed or the cinema room. I thought you’d run off, or been taken or something,” Jin admits, coming to stand behind you, a comforting hand on your shoulder. His gaze falls to the family pictures as he calms himself down. He must look completely calm for this meeting, despite what he knows he’s going to do, “Come on, we have a meeting to get to,”

 

You’re already sat in the conference room furthest from the security door when Jungkook comes in. The smile he gives you is hollow and fake, and he looks how you feel. He sits on your left, leaving the seat on your right for Namjoon, and Jin’s seat to his left. The idea is to allow you to feel as protected as possible, although you know that nothing will comfort you when J-Hope makes his entrance. Not if it’s with the same aura that he faced you with on your first day,

“I hate this stupid idea,” Jungkook mutters under his breath, turning to you with a dark look in his eyes. You smile thinly in response, agreeing with him. Jungkook falls back in his chair and pats your hands reassuringly. You fold your hands into your lap afterwards, waiting as patiently as you can, lost in your own thoughts. You don’t notice Jin and Namjoon come in, shooting each other hostile looks, but you notice J-Hope. His very presence sends chills down your spine, and you can feel his leering eyes on you, the sneer on his face and the way the atmosphere changes. Nobody smiles other than J-Hope, and the hostility increases tenfold.

You try your best to show no vulnerability, but under J-Hope’s steady stare, you find yourself shrinking into Jungkook. He does the same to you, and that comforts you more than him acting cold and collected. You know that you’re not alone, this way. It’s not just you that J-Hope affects.

You wonder how Suga stands it.

J-Hope’s eyes linger on you as he takes his seat, placed specifically in front of Jin to draw attention away from you and towards the mafia boss. But that doesn’t help. Neither do your plain clothes. Jin has to clear his throat pointedly and start the meeting before J-Hope’s eyes turn away from you.

Your mind isn’t with the room at all, and at some point you find Jungkook’s hand gripping yours but you can’t remember when that happened. Jungkook’s mind is away from the room as well, wondering how long it is before J-Hope’s focus shifts to him and he’s called out. He might be killed on the spot if his secret is revealed.

The fear the two of you are experiencing isn’t nice, but it does work in Jin’s favour. Had either of you been paying attention, you would’ve seen that Jin had no true reason to call this meeting, and he’s currently talking about things that shouldn’t have required J-Hope’s presence. Jin speaks of some suspicious murders in his areas, but they’re hardly mafia related, and the boss shouldn’t actually be concerned with things like this.

J-Hope knows this, but enjoys watching Seokjin squirm. Reminds him of how he likes his victims. Desperate and sweating. He’s not even paying attention to the words coming out of Jin’s mouth, his eyes settled back on you. J-Hope’s bored. And when he gets bored, he gets dangerous. He was stripped of his weapons when he came in, but he can get creative with his hands. He lurches for yours, not caring that little Jungkook’s got them between his at that moment.

The moment Jungkook sees J-Hope make a sudden move, he pulls you out of the way, holding you behind him. The chairs clatter to the floor and he lowers himself into a partial crouch as he snarls,

“He broke a condition,” Jungkook spits, but J-Hope just laughs. It’s manic and unhinged. It frightens Jin for a moment, if he was totally honest. Namjoon watches on, gripping the side of seat. He’s unarmed, but he’ll knock J-Hope out if it comes to it. Jungkook urges you to leave, but you’re shaking like a leaf, unable to hear anything. It’s probably best like that, given what J-Hope replies with,

“She’s a little whore anyway. She wants to be touched and comforted, isn’t that right, Jayden?” J-Hope all but screeches, eye darkening as he grips the desk, standing up and leaning over it as if he’s going to jump it to get at you. The name rings a bell in Namjoon’s mind, but he still doesn’t move. Useless. However, the image of J-Hope getting at you snaps Jin into action. He had been sitting in his spot dumbfounded, in much a similar state to you,

“That’s enough. Jungkook, take Y/N out of here right now,” He orders, and Jungkook is only too happy to reply, grabbing your waist to guide you outwards with the little force that you need. You’re still mostly unresponsive, but you can hear Jungkook’s urgent breath as he hurries you anywhere but the secure corridor. You just put one foot in front of the other, feeling as if you’re living one of your nightmares,

“He wanted to kill me,” You whisper when more distance is between you and J-Hope. Jungkook wishes he could tell you otherwise, but you’re right. They all saw J-Hope’s expression.

Back in the conference room, J-Hope’s goading Jin, trying to start a fight. It doesn’t matter that it’s a mafia boss, the brief stalemate between the two organisations is clearly over. He can only imagine the reward Suga would give him if he came home with Jin’s blood on his hands. J-Hope doesn’t care about the revolver in his waistband, he’s too caught up with the voices in his head that want him to kill. Namjoon watches on in a fit of horror, trying to work out what’s going on.

Namjoon was called here to help Jin, but he doesn’t feel like he’s much help. He stands there, gormless, while J-Hope wears his friend’s patience to the ground, and he can’t step in. The words won’t come out and he doesn’t know how to diffuse it,

“This meeting is over,” J-Hope sings, “It was pointless anyway. It’s all one big game, playing with the girly’s head like that, sitting through your stuttering. You’re lucky the Boss looks so fondly upon his pawns,” Jin’s hand twitches towards his waistband, and Namjoon sees what’s about to happen. He can see what’s happening to his best friend,

“Four,” Jin snarls, and Namjoon backs away. He doesn’t want to be caught in the crossfire. J-Hope cackles at that, telling Jin that he’s crazier than him, and he’s a certified danger to society. Jin responds by pulling out his gun and shooting J-Hope straight in the head. He doesn’t miss. Namjoon flinches back, the gunshot ringing in his ears painfully, “See how the Boss feels about his pawns now,"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin takes one step closer to the end of his investigation.

Jin’s eyes are slightly glazed as he stares at the small glass display case that was locked away inside the most inconspicuous gap in any wall in this huge mansion. The bullets are polished, and blink at him in the light of the early morning. The numbers are set into it, along with the names of those who they had killed - number 6 beside Park Jimin, number 5 beside Kim Taehyung and number 4 beside Jung Hoseok.

If Jin looks inside himself, he’ll have to face how heartless this is. It’s disgusting and dehumanising to reduce an entire human life to a simple number like this - another tally in his thirst for revenge. But as awful as it, seeing that he’s halfway there heals something inside of him. After his parents deaths, Jin never spoke about it to anyone. He waved therapy in favour of seeming unbothered in front of the business he acquired. Jin learned very quickly how to supress any and all feelings.

It’s not long left until he can finally end this investigation and leave this business. He wants it more than anything.

While Jin loses himself in his thoughts in the way he’s beginning to do far too often, Namjoon comes into the office and stands himself just behind his friend, eyebrows pulled together in a mix of disapproval and confusion,

“I don’t understand you, Jin,” Namjoon sighs. His feelings of uselessness and stupidity are increasing in recent times. He’s here because Jin asked for his help with you coming home at such a crux in his career, but Namjoon knows he isn’t doing as much as he normally would. It’s not that Namjoon doesn’t do a brilliant job, it’s just that Jin doesn’t know who to trust. Namjoon doesn’t really blame him, if he’s being totally honest, “If you told me what you were planning, maybe I could help you,” Namjoon tries, despite knowing that his attempts are completely futile. Jin’s eyes flicker to meet Namjoon’s in the reflection of the glass, and Namjoon thinks he sees unshed tears,

“You’d only try to stop me,” Jin says, voice rough and tired. And with that, Jin’s face changes. His features sharpen and he stands up straighter, smoothing his jacket down. He puts the display case away before sitting down at his desk. Namjoon’s no longer looking at his friend. He’s looking at the boss of the Kim mafia, “Do you have updates on Suga’s movements?” He questions, his tone business-like and professional.

Namjoon wishes he could do that. Just pretend he’s not struggling and become a new person. Namjoon has a mask that he uses, but he doesn’t have the energy when it comes to this. What they did to Suga was inhuman. His husband was murdered, and they dangled that fact in front of him like a carrot in front of a donkey. Jin’s playing with the emotions of his greatest rival, and despite the fact that Namjoon hates him too, he can’t help but have a heart. Suga may have ordered the killing of Jin’s parents, but he’s still human,

“Nobody’s seen him, but he’s expected to turn up soon. Definitely before the end of the day,” Namjoon replies curtly. He’s never voiced his opinion to Jin, but there’s no way he doesn’t know. The two grew up together, learned together and trained together. Jin knows. But unfortunately, Jin can’t make allowances for it. Weakness and vulnerability only make you crazy, lead you to rash decisions. If you internalise it and pretend it’s not there, you can make sound decisions. Namjoon would disagree, especially if he knew what Jin was planning for the future, but it doesn’t matter. None of it matters,

“Make sure Y/N is well out of the way when he arrives, and ensure that he comes here first. I won’t lose any more men to him,” Jin says flatly, standing up to gaze out of the window, as if he’s going to see a silhouette crossing the lawn. His eyes revert back to their glazed state as he wonders how long it’ll be. Jin’s so tired. All he wants to do is rest, and get rid of this nagging feeling in his chest that won’t let him stop just yet.

Namjoon doesn’t bother to reply before he leaves. Jin might not even hear it, anyway. He’s been distant lately, as if there’s something he knows that he’s not telling anyone. Namjoon in particular. It shouldn’t be anything new, but it feels different this time. It’s the way that Jin looks at Namjoon sometimes, it’s like his eyes are begging for help, but his face never changes. He’s always wearing a mask.

But two can play at that game, so Namjoon stifles the thoughts. For now, all be has to do is find Jungkook. There are only so many places that he can be at such an early hour.

 

After the meeting yesterday, the last thing you wanted was to be alone. Jungkook understood this without even needing to ask, so he just didn’t leave your side. He took you down to dinner at an appropriate time - well, it wasn’t a sit down meal in the dining room like normal, but he did go into the kitchens and persuade the increasingly irritable chefs to let him take your plates through to the cinema room. Once you were in there, he dragged forward a desk from the front of the room to eat off of, wrapped you up in a fluffy blanket and turned on some sweet family films to distract you.

He was half tempted to feed you too, but he didn’t want to take it too far.

You didn’t feel like talking much, but mumbled a few words of thanks when Jungkook tucked you up in front of the cinema screen like a little blanket burrito. The dinner was tasteless in your mouth, but the concerned looks that Jungkook kept giving you from the corner of his eye made sure you ate all of it.

The food sat warm in your belly as your eyes drooped, and you found yourself unable to keep yourself awake anymore. With Jungkook’s calming presence right next you, you weren’t as afraid of J-Hope or what he was going to do to you if he had got his hands on you. You were okay because it’s not J-Hope with his hands on you, it’s Jungkook smoothing your hair out and lowering the volume of the film, careful not to make a sound as you fall asleep.

It seems almost familiar as Jungkook carried you to bed, having done it once before not all that long ago. You didn’t stir in his arms this time either, but Jungkook’s was a little clumsy from exhaustion as he tucked the duvet under your neck. At the last second, you manages to fumble for his hand, still not quite ready to be alone. Jungkook understood, so he didn’t leave. He settled down on top of the covers next to you, not dropping your hand for even a second.

When Namjoon couldn’t find Jungkook in the dining hall or his own bedroom, the first place he thought about was your room. You must have been pretty shaken up last night, but Namjoon had been too caught up in himself to come by and check on you. Luckily, it’s clear that Jungkook stayed right there with you to make sure nothing happened to you. When Namjoon comes in, he finds you snuggled into Jungkook as much as you possibly can, one hand resting on his chest and the other holding his hand around your waist. The raven-haired boy’s mouth is open slightly as he snores, and the two of you just look so innocent and… in love.

Finding something so sweet and untainted is so rare in this world that Namjoon can’t help but go all gooey-eyed over it. If anyone deserves happiness, it’s you. The two of you didn’t quite hit it off quite right, but Namjoon knows that there are no love stories without bumps in the road. If he could leave the two of you to be like this forever he would. But of course, there are always more pressing matters at hand, like your safety.

Jungkook is roused by a gentle shaking, and someone whispering his name in his ear. His entire body protests as he wakes up, as if begging to live a little longer in the moment. Then he sees Namjoon leaning down over him and he jolts. Jungkook looks to you, and then back to Namjoon. It’s a very compromising position, even though Jungkook isn’t under the covers. The last thing he wants is for Namjoon to get the wrong idea,

“Mr Kim- I- this isn’t what it looks like- I didn’t-“ Jungkook stutters, very formal as he looks up at Namjoon in utter horror. His voice is raspy, but he’s trying to keep it down so you don’t wake up. It takes a few moments for Jungkook to realise that Namjoon doesn’t look mad. In fact, his eyes seem to be almost proud. But before Jungkook has time to dwell on it, Namjoon is speaking,

“I understand, so don’t worry. I also won’t tell Seokjin,” Namjoon says, and Jungkook realises that Namjoon is actually joking with him. Teasing him, like they’re friends. It’s weird but surprisingly welcome. Maybe in another life, they’d be close friends, “But I do need to speak with you soon,”

“She can’t be alone,” Jungkook quickly interjects, eyes wide and serious. If you woke up alone it could really upset you, and Jungkook never wants to see you frown again. Your smile brightens his day, and he’ll do anything to preserve it. Luckily, Namjoon’s not an idiot, and was more than ready for Jungkook to say something like that,

“That’s fine, just take her down to breakfast or up to Seokjin when she wakes up. Then give me a call and we can go from there,” He assures the younger man, who nods gratefully. He won’t try to wake you, so you can just get up on your own terms. After Namjoon’s words register in his mind, his eyes seem to droop almost immediately. He’s tired too, and could use a few more hours of sleep. Namjoon checks his watch with a slight curse - it’s earlier than he thought, so he edges out of the room without another word. Jungkook is snoring again before the door shuts.

 

Your eyes open slowly, the sunlight filtering in through your clumsily shut curtains causing you to squint. You go to get up when you realise that you can’t - you’ve trapped yourself under Jungkook’s arms, still clinging to his hand. Jolting back, you wonder if you can get up without waking him. It’s at that moment that you realise you drooled a little onto his shirt, and he’s also awake and looking at you.

The most adorable squeal leaves your mouth, and Jungkook can’t help but smile, eyes tracing over your every feature with a gentle affection. You relax into his arms a little more, especially when his eyes settle on your parted lips, looking slightly hungry. He’s leaning in just a little, and you think he’s going to kiss you. You want him to kiss you, so you lean in too. At the last moment, Jungkook jerks back, thinking better of it. Surely it’s wrong to do this… so why does he want to do it so badly?

You roll away from Jungkook, his grip having loosened when he pulled back. You stretch your arms up over your head and realise how genuinely relaxed you feel. You’re not quite at ease, but you’re far better than you were yesterday. It might have something to do with how last night went, and how understanding Jungkook was, and you’re thankful for that,

“Thanks for taking care of me. I’m just gonna wash my face, I won’t be long,” You tell Jungkook over your shoulder as you head to the bathroom. It seems a little unnecessary to thank him (he’ll already know you appreciate it) but you worry that if you don’t say something, you’ll both dwell on that moment. Jungkook didn’t want to kiss you, and that’s fine. You won’t let it get between such a pure friendship.

You’re dressed and washed, and about halfway through brushing your teeth when Jungkook walks into the bathroom with a wide grin. He gets a new toothbrush down from the cabinet above your sink and starts brushing his teeth too. It’s just an innocent and domestic moment - even more so if you cast you mind back to the day before - that a smile matching Jungkook forces its way onto your face. This, of course, makes it very difficult to brush your teeth,

“I’ll take you up to Seokjin’s office if you’re ready. I think he wants to spend some time with you,” Jungkook tells you a few minutes later. Your relationship with your brother has been volatile at best since you arrived back here, so you’re not sure if it’ll do more harm than good spending time with him. But, there’s a chance it’ll make things better so you’re willing to take the chance. The only issue is what Jungkook’s wearing,

“That’s fine, but don’t you wanna change first? What will everyone think if you leave my room wearing the same clothes that you did yesterday?” You tease, pulling at the shirt that Jungkook’s got on. Looking down, he sees that you do have a point. His clothes are wrinkled and he could probably use a shower too, so he agrees,

“I think you’re right, the men in this place are worse than housewives when it comes to gossip!”

Jungkook’s room is on the floor below yours - it’s not as grand or elaborate, but it’s comfortable. The walls are a shade of beige that match the curtains and the bedsheets, and the furniture is all very modest. His bathroom only has a toilet, sink, and shower. You think up to your en suite, with it’s expensive touches and huge hot-tub-slash-bathtub, and wonder if Jungkook thinks you’re spoiled for having what must be one of the best kept rooms in the mansion without working for it.

There aren’t any personal touches at all, apart from his slightly messy bed and a battered old photo on his bedside table. It’s been folded too many times, the colour is fading and it has no frame, but it’s still a sweet picture. It’s of a young couple with a small toddler with a bunny-like grin plastered on his chubby face sat between them. The child’s hands are raised towards the camera, like he’s trying to grab it from across the room,

“That’s me with my parents. It’s my second birthday,” Jungkook supplies you with the identities of those in the photo when he comes out of the bathroom to see you holding it. You look up to ask him a question, but you have to tear your gaze away quickly. He’s not put a shirt on yet, so you can’t let yourself look too long and risk drooling over his shirtless body. You didn’t realise he worked out so much, but he must do to look like that.

Jungkook pulls on a simple white t-shirt, dressing a little more casual today. He still tucks it into his slacks though, before telling you that he’s ready to go. His hair is still a little damp from the shower (and thus unstyled) but it actually quite suits him.

Once you reach the stairs up to the security door that protects Jin’s offices, you tell Jungkook that you’ll be okay from there. He looks uneasy about sending you off on your own, but you’re not a baby. You can walk a few metres without a big strong man to hold your hand. Regardless, he still waits for the security door to close behind you before turning away and phoning Namjoon, as he was told to do at an ungodly hour that morning. He says he’s down by the kitchens, and asks Jungkook to hurry. There’s no teasing tone to his voice as there was earlier.

Jungkook takes the stairs two at a time, but still meets Namjoon with a slightly disapproving expression. The younger of the two thinks a smile suits him better, but that would only be for the kind of Namjoon that doesn’t work in the mafia,

“Is Y/N with Jin?” Namjoon asks, and Jungkook nods curtly, sensing the tense atmosphere in the mansion, “Then we don’t have much time. I probably should’ve asked you to bring her to me instead, but what’s done is done,” Namjoon sighs, running a hand through his already dishevelled hair. He doesn’t look even nearly as composed as he did earlier, “I’ll bring you up to speed. Yesterday, J-Hope was shot and killed, and his body was sent back to Suga. It’s expected that he will turn up soon to… express his anger,” Namjoon says. He doesn’t totally understand it all either, since Jin’s explanation was vague and hurried, but in this world you don’t really need to understand things, you just need to accept them, “So I need you to keep Y/N out of sight. Seokjin is likely his target, but his sister will work just fine,”

Jungkook can feel the familiar sickening nerves bubble up in his stomach, but he knows he’ll keep you safe so he just nods, assuring Namjoon of what he already knows Jungkook will say. He’ll make sure nothing happens to you. After ensuring Jungkook knows that Suga’s arrival is seriously imminent, he sends him off to wait by the security door for Jin to send you out. Namjoon watches Jungkook hurry off, the back of his t-shirt slightly wet from the water dripping off of his hair. That boy really does care about you, and you care about him. It’s sweet, but Namjoon wonders if he’s quite right for you. Something about Jungkook isn’t entirely honest.

 

In the office, Jin seems on edge as he scrambles around to find something to talk to you about. He realises that he doesn’t know much about you anymore, and is surprised that you seem perfectly happy to wander around his office while he works. You feel awkward too, but you’re just better at hiding it. You find yourself in front of the locked cabinet as you often do when you’re in here, and Jin spots something he can talk about. His investigation,

“Do you want to have a look?” He offers, and you nod in response. The pinboard hidden behind the locked doors is as messy as ever, and you trace your fingers over the string and look at the pictures. There are so many that you don’t get a chance to look at them all before your eyes fall onto a blank polaroid photo, with the word ‘unknown’ scrawled in Jin’s handwriting along the bottom. You point to it and ask what he means. Jin’s jaw tics before he answers, not quite meeting your eyes, “I know there’s one more person involved, but I don’t know who it is yet. Hopefully I’ll find out soon,” He tells you rather cryptically. You’re just about to ask one of your thousands of questions when Jin’s phone buzzes. You wait patiently for him to text back, but he just takes one look before pocketing the phone,

“What’s going on?” You ask nervously, when Jin quickly locks the cabinet back up and pockets the key once more. Jin’s voice is low and fast as he tells you that you have to leave as quickly as possible, giving you no room to protest. You try your absolute best not to give in, but Jin’s hands are firm on your shoulders as he all but pushes you out of the office and down the hall. Maybe you should start working out with the recruits so he can’t do this in future. You want to put your foot down and demand answers, but you really can’t.

You basically tumble into Jungkook’s arms when the security door opens and Jin gives you a final shove. You take the chance to turn back and chew him out, but you close your mouth when you see his face. In just moments, he’s transformed from your composed older brother to a man in a panic, skin flushed as he tells Jungkook that ‘he’s here’ and ‘you need to hide her’,

“Y/N!” Jungkook all but shouts, pulling you to face him, eyes just as wild and desperate as Jin’s, “You need to come with me right now, please don’t argue, just do it,” He says, nodding to Jin before the older man retreats back through the security door, not closing it. You notice for the first time that there’s no guard stationed there. You’ve only ever seen that once before, and that was when Jimin was killed. That’s not a good sign.

Jungkook is struggling to hurry you through the halls. He wanted to take you to a panic room where the other workers are, but after checking his watch he realises he has no time. When Suga arrived, Jungkook was told he had no more than three minutes to hide you. It’s already been two, and the panic room is too far to reach. He will not chance Suga seeing you. He knows your face. J-Hope saw you on your first day here,

“In here,” Jungkook hisses, followed up with a few curses. He’s opened a door in the wall and is hurriedly ushering you in, dark eyes darting all over the place. It’s dark and smelly in this room, and also incredibly cramped. You huff and ask what Jungkook’s problem is. You were fine this morning, but now he’s shoving you in closets and swearing? It doesn’t make any sense, and you hate feeling helpless, “Please be quiet. There’s an unwelcome visitor that might want to see you, so you need to stay safe. Trust me,” He whispers in your ear, voice slightly less harsh now you’re hidden away. You huff again, leaning your head onto Jungkook’s chest. You want to complain, but it’s best to stay silent.

 

Jin’s stood by the open window, eyes hard as he looks over the grounds of the empire his father built during his life. It’s times like this that Jin wonders how many times he nearly died before he actually did, but his father was never as problematic as his son turned out to be. Jin’s life is only being threatened because he’s looking for answers some people don’t want him to have. And to be fair, he really did poke the hornets nest with Suga. Not the best idea.

He can feel a slight breeze on the back of his neck, since he left the security door open. His phone buzzes - it’s Namjoon. Everyone is out of sight, but Suga is making his way to the main offices. Maybe a smarter man wouldn’t go where he’s obviously being herded, but Suga’s not smart at the moment. Grief is a powerful drug, and Suga’s high on it. Jin’s shoulders tense as he waits, but he doesn’t turn around. This is all about appearances, and he must stay composed. It will only serve for a grander finale. He hears heavy footsteps behind him, followed by a growl. Suga’s here,

“Hide all your little workers from me?” Suga goads, stepping into the office. Jin’s domain, “What’s wrong? Afraid of danger all of a sudden?” Jin laughs slowly. His mask comes down, and he’s no longer Jin. He’s Kim Seokjin, Boss of the Kim Mafia,

“Not in the slightest. I just know what grief does to a man. I gave you some payback. You killed my parents, and I killed your husband. Must have been awful to see him like that. Dead. Past saving,” Jin says, voice lithe and provoking. Suga all but howls, pushing the barrel of his gun to Jin’s forehead. The older of the two doesn’t even flinch, continuing his well-rehearsed speech. He’s always wanted to break Suga like this, especially after the part he played in the assassination, “That’s how I felt when I found my parents. Like you, seeing little Hobi killed by me,” Jin’s voice rises to a growl, and tears start to drip down Suga’s face. He’s shaking, “Do it. Shoot me. End it,” Jin goads, and part of him means it.

But, of course, survival instincts kick in. Suga’s thumb goes to flick off the safety mechanism, and Jin’s hand comes up. His palm hits Suga’s nose, possibly breaking it, and it gives him time to knock the gun out of his hand, sending it crashing into the glass-covered bookcase. It shatters it, and it shatters Suga’ last shred of composure with it. Jin punches him once more in the face, sending him to the floor. The blonde haired man is broken beyond repair, so he doesn’t even try to get up. Hoseok’s gone, and it hurts so badly,

“On your knees,” Jin orders, grabbing the revolver from where it was placed under his desk. Easy access, and all that. Yoongi gets onto his knees, shoulders shaking not from tears, but from laughter. He’s as crazy as his husband was. Like Jin, he doesn’t flinch at the feeling of a barrel against his forehead,

“You can kill me if you want. I don’t care. You’ll be searching forever, never knowing when your investigation is over. You’ll drive yourself crazy, because you have no idea how many people were involved,” He laughs, volume rising exponentially. It sounds like nails on a chalkboard, but it doesn’t take Jin much to silence the grieving man,

“You’re wrong,” He sneers, and the smirk falls from Suga’s face. Jin smiles wickedly as he continues, “I know all about your magic number. I know everything about you, and your little spy Jimin couldn’t tell you that, could he?” Jin demands, lips curling back. He can feel his finger twitching. He wants this over, “I know you, Yoongi. You won’t beg for your life, but you regret coming here. You won’t die as Suga, the great mafia boss. You’ll die as Min Yoongi, the widowed husband who came looking for a fight,”

The trigger is pulled, and Yoongi falls to the floor, no longer smirking. He’s died as nothing more than a simple number,

“Three,”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time in a long time, quiet seems to descend on the mansion.

The sound of a gunshot rings through your brain, and for just a moment you’re frozen in place, not knowing what it means. But then it clicks. It came from Jin’s office.

You start struggling to get out, but you’re trapped in by Jungkook’s arms. One of his hands are splayed across your back to hold you to his chest, and he moves so that his back is to the door and you can’t get out. You don’t care though. You keep trying, knowing that it might have been Jin that got shot and you don’t want to leave him alone,

“Y/N, stop that. Going up there might get you shot, and I won’t let that happen. Wait for a moment, you can’t do anything about what’s going on,” Jungkook tells you, trying not to sound harsh but knowing there’s no other way. You need to understand, and in this state there’s no other way than being blunt. At the sound of Jungkook’s words, you begin to stop struggling, finding it difficult to breathe. Now the initial shock is passing, you’re scared. Terrified, even. The only thing holding you up is Jungkook.

A few minutes pass, and the loud sound of some sort of commotion rises outside. You whimper and clutch Jungkook’s t-shirt, pulling him closer to you as if you can hide in his shirt. A few more moments pass and you hear what sounds like cheering. Jungkook looks down at you quizzically, before turning to step outside. At the last moment, you grab his hand, not wanting him to leave you alone just yet. Jungkook squeezes your fingers as he holds them, edging his body out of the door to flag down a worker,

“You can come out,” Jungkook suddenly calls, tugging your hand so that you stumble into the hall. You blink at the sudden light, and look around. The hall is swarmed with men in suits, some with serious faces but most smiling. Some are talking loudly, shaking hands and laughing. You’ve never seen anything like it, but after the gunshot you don’t feel at ease with it. You shrink into Jungkook, who senses your discomfort, “It wasn’t Jin, he’s okay. I’ll take you up to the main office, just hold onto my hand,” He tells you quietly. You nod gratefully, holding on with both hands and Jungkook shoulders his way up to the office.

When you reach the top of the stairs, just in front of the open security door, Jungkook nods encouragingly and gestures for you to go through. You oblige without a second thought, squeezing Jungkook’s hand in thanks before hurrying through. The corridor seems to stretch forever, but you eventually stop in the doorway of Jin’s office, watching as he shakes hands with some men, a slightly grim, but calm, look on his face.

You can’t go in, though. There’s blood all over the place again, with those awful chunks sliding down the walls… you’re reminded painfully of Jimin. It hurts your heart and you stumble back just a little, clinging to the doorframe as your head spins. That was a sight you could have gone many lifetimes without seeing ever again.

Jin sees you duck out of sight, and he notes your slightly green complexion. His heart hurts for you having to find his office in such a state more than once, especially when you’re not as used to it as others may be. With a final tight smile, Jin excuses himself from the small group of men, heading straight in your direction. He’s already shed his ruined suit jacket and wiped off any specks of blood, so he look perfectly clean. Like a salesman who had a rough day.

He doesn’t say anything as he takes one of your hands, the other coming to support your hips and keep you upright. Jin guides you to the next conference room with a strong arm, and when the red leaves your vision, you find it easier to breathe. Jin helps you into a seat as he wonders what the hell he’s supposed to say.

He obviously can’t tell you the truth. You already know he killed Jimin, and even if you have no connection to Suga, he knows murder can be hard to come to grips with. You’re not ready to know the whole truth, and you’re certainly not ready to know how many people Jin has killed since you arrived. So he has no choice but to lie.

You’re eyes meet Jin’s with a little more clarity, and Jin knows it’s time to act. He kneels down in front of you, widening his eyes so they look more scared. The mask he wears cracks, and a little more of the real Jin comes through,

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” He says, breath speeding up as he allows himself to panic. It’s a strange sensation, and one he usually stifles, “You were so close to being right there, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d gotten hurt,” Jin all but gushes, a hand coming up to stroke your hair. This is something he isn’t lying about. The lies will only come if you ask questions,

“I thought you got shot,” You sob, voice breaking as you let yourself melt into your brother’s arms. It feels like all those years ago when you would have a nightmare and Jin would come running in, eyes scared for you as he would pull you into his lap and sing you back to sleep, “What happened?” You ask, pulling back to look into Jin’s eyes, searching for an answer.

Jin inwardly curses. You always did like to ask questions,

“Suga was furious that we met with J-Hope. It was never cleared with him, and he’s protective of his husband,” Jin says, the lies just rolling off his tongue at this point. He feels bad for doing it, even though he knows full well it’s for your own good, “He wanted to kill me for it, and…” Jin trails off, looking down. He feels ashamed of what he’s doing, “If it hadn’t been for one of my workers looking for me, and had the sense to shoot Suga when he had his gun to my head, I’d be dead,”

A tortured sob leaves your body as you pull Jin in for another hug, never wanting to hear about him facing that. Living this life for so long with nobody to hep him must have been the worst thing in the world. Even though it wasn’t your fault, you feel bad for leaving him alone for 5 years. He must have been so alone,

“Can we go somewhere today?” Jin suddenly blurts, and you pull back in shock. You’ve been here around a week and Jin hasn’t offered to spend more than dinner with you, and now he wants to spend a day with you? “Just in case the worst ever happens, I want you to have some good memories with me,” You look at Jin with a smile, wanting nothing more, even if his reasons are a little morbid. You watch him stand up to get you a glass of water, and you see your big brother for who he is.

He’s strong, but broken. He’s scared, but determined. He’s there for you.

 

And true to his word, Jin spends the day with you. It takes a few minutes for him to make some calls to cancel everything for that day - meetings and briefings, conferences and the like. He also has to give Namjoon the run down of what’s going on and what his duties will be when Jin goes out. It’s only for a few hours though, so nothing major should go down. Namjoon smiles with both dimples when Jin admits that he’s doing this to spend time with you. It’s Jin’s own decision not to divulge exactly why he suddenly wants to a clear a day for you,

“Where are we going?” You ask excitedly, when Jin comes to get you from where you were waiting in the cinema room. He smiles at you but doesn’t reply, letting you climb into the car without knowing yet. Jin’s always been a bit of a reckless driver, but he sticks to the rules as much as possible as he drives out of the mansion. You get a mile or so away from the grounds when he turns to you with a smile,

“I’m taking you shopping,” He tells you, and you all but squeal in excitement. It sounds like the kind of day you used to spend with your brother as a child, and he fully intends to bring that experience back for you.

When you were at school here in Korea, you were the victim of bullying at times. It’s the kind of thing that all teenagers tend to go through at some point, but it did hurt and it did get you down. Whenever you came home with a frown, Jin would notice instantly and take you out for a treat. Money was never an issue for your family, so he could take you to a theme park, go bowling, out for lunch or for a mass shopping trip - this was more rare, and usually only saved for when one of you were so stressed that you broke down. You can see why Jin chose shopping.

The last week or so has been a disaster. Deaths, people going missing, people lying and telling the truth… you get a headache just thinking about it. Jin actually admits to you that he’s been wanting to take you shopping since he realised how hard you were taking it - that night after dinner that you broke down in front of him. It’s just been tricky to find the time.

The shopping trip is everything you remember - Jin shoves you into photo booths to take silly pictures, drags you round all of your favourite shops to make you try on ugly clothes and clothes he thinks you’ll like, buys you anything you express even the slightest interest in and even tells you when a guy is checking you out. His Big Brother Protective Streak comes out a little more then, but you still laugh about it and blush,

“I thought you hated fast food?” You tease at lunch time, after Jin’s dragged you into a burger place, “I thought there was nothing as good as a home cooked meal?” You mimic him almost perfectly, cackling with laughter when Jin tears off the top of his straw wrapper and blows it at you. It hits you straight in the forehead, and you retaliate much in the same way.

You get some strange looks from nearby tables, but who cares? You haven’t felt this close to your brother in years. For a few moments, you almost forget who he is. Just for a second, it’s like you never went to America, and you grew up with Jin like you were supposed to. It’s almost like he never took over his father’s place in the mafia.

The day passes in a wonderful display of perfection. Your cheeks ache from smiling so much, and you’ve had to make two trips back to the car to put your shopping bags in it. You’ve kitted out your wardrobe for years to come, and Jin bought some nice new suits, some cufflinks you picked out for him, and even some casual wear. You nearly died laughing when you saw it - you can hardly imagine your brother in a hoodie anymore!

As it starts to get late, and you realise that you’ve probably exhausted the Kim Bank Account (and Jin) you decide you want to go to the toilet before you go home. It’s a bit of a drive back home, so Jin sends you off with a smile. He says he wants to look at some watches in the store across from the toilets, so you go separate ways for a few minutes, agreeing to meet back by the benches when you’re finished.

You do your business and wash your hands with a goofy smile on your face. The muscles in your face are twitching from smiling so much, but you really wouldn’t have it any other way. You missed your big brother, and even if he can make bad decisions and come across as heartless, today has only shown you how much he loves you. While the hot water washes over your hands, you contemplate that maybe he didn’t send you over to America just to spite you. Today has given you a new perspective of your brother, and you think that he really isn’t all that different. He’s just older, taller, and has a few more responsibilities.

Meanwhile, Jin has lied to you again. It wasn’t a huge lie like what happened with V or Suga, just a small one. He’s not looking for a watch, he’s looking for a locket. Since he decided that he wanted to genuinely pursue his investigation into his parent’s murder, he’s been looking for the perfect one. He looked for a long time, but eventually found one and ordered it to be delivered to this jewellers. It was a ridiculous amount of money for something so small, but Jin knows you deserve nothing but the best.

When Jin pulls up in front of the mansion, he realises it’s not long until the kitchens open for dinner. Jin smiles to himself before calling for a few men to help with all the shopping bags. Their eyes bulge when they see the amount of things, and you blush a little. Jin just laughs as brightly as he has been all day, taking a handful himself, and bringing them up to your room,

“Hopefully you’ll have enough space for all of this,” Jin teases as the last bag is set down in the middle of your room. You really do feel a little spoiled, knowing you have enough things to barely ever have to do your washing, “I’m going to make dinner tonight,” He suddenly says, and you look at him with wide eyes, “Yeah, we can dress up nice, and have a nice family dinner. Namjoon can come,” Jin states, and you can’t help but jump over your shopping bags to give Jin one last hug.

Jin smiles sadly down at you, ruffling your hair affectionately before hugging you back. You don’t deserve to be alone, ever. He’s sorry that you’ve been that way before.

 

Namjoon sighs as he lets himself into Jin’s office, expecting the miserable sight he’s gotten used to seeing from Jin. He’s shocked to see his friend sitting on his desk with a smile, that widens when he sees him,

“Come in, shut the door behind you! I want to be quick, and I know you don’t agree with a lot of what I do but I did lie to Y/N about what happened, I told her that someone else shot Suga,” Jin rushes, and Namjoon blinks a few times before processing it. He’s about to tell Jin exactly what he thinks about it when the older man continues, “But that doesn’t even matter, because I just had a wonderful day. I realised that I barely know my own sister anymore, but I took her out and we went to the shopping centre like before my parents passed. I don’t think I’ve smiled so much in years!” Jin continues, standing up as his eyes dance with happiness.

Namjoon agrees with that. Jin hasn’t been so energetic and happy in a long time, and this sight is too long overdue. He looks so genuinely ecstatic, and Namjoon sorely misses the times they spent together as children. As if Jin reads his mind, his smile falls and he looks away,

“If I could leave this life… I mean, before all of this. If I could go back and be there for her, I would. I feel awful for everything I’ve put her through, and knowing it’s not even nearly over yet,” Jin sighs, shifting uncomfortably. Once again, Namjoon is momentarily robbed of a moment to speak, “If anything happened to me, you’d take care of her, right?” He questions, and Namjoon’s stomach drops,

“Of course I would. Without a second thought I’d step up,” Namjoon says, nodding strongly. It’s almost offensive that Jin feels he has to ask, but after what happened today, Namjoon supposes that it’s only natural to question things. He wants to leave his little sister in the hands of someone he trusts, “But if you die, I’ll kill you,” Namjoon teases, trying to lighten the mood. Jin only smiles grimly, before shaking his head as if to clear his mind. Then his smile is back, beaming at Namjoon in full force,

“I’m making dinner tonight. You’re invited, but I don’t know what to make. It’s been a long time since I did anything like this,” Jin muses, eyes twinkling with a vague passion. Namjoon remembers how much he used to love cooking,

“It sounds like a nice idea. You could make lasagne or fajitas, maybe. Like old times, when I would come round and we’d stay up late playing video games,” The trip down memory lane causes tears to swim in Namjoon’s eyes, and he has to try very hard to hold them back. Luckily, Jin seems to absorbed in his own idea to notice,

“Yeah, that’d be good. I’ll see what we have down in the kitchens. Maybe Jungkook could come too. He’s done a lot for our little family,” He says, almost absent-mindedly. Namjoon snorts without being able to stop himself - the look on Jin’s face indicates that he doesn’t quite know what that would mean to you,

“If it’s possible, it might just make her day that much better,” Namjoon teases cryptically, and Jin’s frown deepens, asking what that means. Jin doesn’t see any reason why Jungkook coming along would be substantial. He knows the two of you get on now, but he thought that was all, “Well, it’d be like giving the kid the Big Brother Seal of Approval, wouldn’t it?” Namjoon suggests, remembering what he saw that morning but also his promise not to mention that specifically,

“They’re dating?” Jin splutters, face flushing. Surely you would’ve told him if you’d gotten yourself a boyfriend - one of him employees, no less! He was teasing you today about the guys checking you out, why didn’t you speak up about being spoken for?

“No, they’re not dating,” Namjoon assures him, and Jin feels as if he can breathe again. He didn’t wildly misjudge any situations, or miss huge things in your life completely, “But they might as well be, they seem to really like each other. It’s like they’ve known each other for years, they’re that comfortable with one another,” Namjoon notes, and Jin all but rolls his eyes. He grumbles a little bit to Namjoon, but doesn’t really mind all that much. If it makes you happy, then that’s fine for now.

 

Just before dinner is served, Jin calls Jungkook to the dining hall to help him set the table. The elder is constantly shooting looks towards the younger boy, who seems perfectly oblivious to it. His mind is running away with him, thinking back to how close he was to kissing you earlier, and what that means. He also thinks about how happy he is that you’re close again. He wonders what would happen if he kissed you. Jungkook’s not blind. He saw the way you looked at him when he put his shirt on, and he felt how close you held yourself to him when Suga was in the building.

Jungkook realises with a gentle smile that he hasn’t been so genuinely happy in a long time.

When you walk in through the large dining hall doors, Jin and Jungkook stop to look at you. You’re holding Namjoon’s arm in that old fashioned way that you’ve actually grown to love, and both men think that you look nice. Jin thinks that you look so grown up, just like your mother. Jungkook’s thoughts are less eloquent, thinking about how stunning you look, and how badly he wishes you knew how he feels.

You smile widely when you see that everyone else is dressed up - Namjoon came to get you from your room in his best suit, and pretended to pass out when he saw how pretty you looked. You’re wearing one of the dresses you bought today, and you spent a lot of time doing your hair and make-up. You don’t get many chances to dress up so well, so you decided to go all out. Jin, Namjoon and Jungkook did too. All four of you look ready to step onto the red carpet at any moment.

Jungkook suddenly feels like a clumsy little boy as he fumbles to pull your chair out for you, and you shoot him a sweet smile as you sit down. The three men follow, and Namjoon notes how genuinely nice this is. It’s only a simple dinner, but it’s a wonderful way to celebrate a new beginning. Jin and Jungkook appreciate that comment a little more than you do.

The cooks come in with Jin’s homemade lasagne, but it’s the mafia boss himself that serves it up, just like he did back at home all those years ago. He’s not in a frilly apron this time though. It’s a shame you didn’t pick one up today to force him into,

“So, Jungkook,” Jin says, putting on a very formal tone as he hands the raven-haired boy his plate of lasagne, “What are your intentions with my sister?” He asks, and Jungkook chokes on his drink. His napkin flies to cover his mouth as he coughs and splutters, cheeks flushing deep red. You laugh at him, nudging him under the table with your foot. Jin’s expression remains neutral, but his eyes flick to yours for a moment, sparkling with something mischievous,

“You don’t have to answer that,” Namjoon says, and Jungkook seems to look at him with relief. Until Namjoon continues, “But I just want you to know that if you do date Y/N, you won’t just have one big brother to answer to. There’ll be two,” And now it’s you turn to splutter and blush,

“Please stop,” You whine, pouting at your brothers, “We’re not dating, so give Kookie a break,” The moment your nickname for Jungkook slips from your lips, you know it’s a mistake. Jin and Namjoon riot over it, teasing the both of you to no end.

 

Jungkook walks you to your room that night, much to the delight of Jin and Namjoon. The dinner was almost normal - like you brought a boyfriend home to your two playful brothers, who laughed with each other and the both of you. It felt like a real family, and like the start of something for you and Jungkook. You’re hanging onto his arm as he guides you up the stairs, both of you laughing and smiling.

When you stop outside of your room, you turn to Jungkook a little more shyly than you’ve been acting all evening. Admittedly you had drunk a few glasses of wine, but you’re not drunk. Just a little more relaxed than normal,

“I’m sorry, but you can’t come in,” You tease, trailing your hand down Jungkook’s arms to take his hand, interlocking your fingers with his, “I’m not that kind of girl,” Jungkook laughs softly, dark eyes meeting yours. He lifts his free hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear,

“Note taken. But maybe I can get a kiss? I did walk you home, after all,” Jungkook replies, playing along. A small blush works its way onto your cheek as you lean up on your tip toes, placing a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder to steady yourself. Slowly, very slowly, you lean in to press your lips to Jungkook’s, barely a kiss before you go to pull away. That’s when his hand moves to the back of your neck, holding you right there where he wants you and where you want to be.

The kiss lasts just a few seconds before you pull back, and smile coyly up at Jungkook,

“Goodnight,” You say, barely audible as you slip into your bedroom, leaving Jungkook to find his way back to his bedroom in a bit of a daze, barely able to process what just happened.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things can't be quiet forever.

The shrill sound of his alarm wakes Jin up with a start. He rolls over to clumsily swat at his phone to make it stop, and he’s half tempted to pull his covers back over his head. The weather’s getting colder, so sleeping bare chested is becoming less and less of a good idea. It makes it so much more difficult to get up in the morning, and if Jin was a weaker man he’d sleep some more. But he has a mafia to run and a breakfast to attend, so he swings his legs out of bed and looks around his room with bleary eyes.

As much as he’s grown fond of this place, it’d never really felt like home to him. It’s always been more of a halfway house, somewhere to sit in while he’s waiting to move on. And hopefully that’ll be any day now.

He runs a hand through his hair as he trudges into the bathroom, wondering how many more times he’ll have to do this. It’s been a week since he killed Suga. A little over two weeks since you got here. 5 years since he opened his investigation. It’s been 5 years, and yet he still has no clue where to look next. Maybe killing Suga as a little rash, but he didn’t have much of a choice. It was Jin or Suga, and Jin isn’t quite ready to go yet.

Jin stares at himself as he washes his face, and realises how tired he looks. No necessarily to an outsider, but Jin recognises it on himself. The frown lines, the dark eyes, the look of resignation on his face. All he wants to do is throw in the towel and call it a day, but he still has so much more to do. Loose ends to tie and all that stuff. He can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore.

He vaguely wonders if anyone knows just how tired he is, but when he looks at himself in the mirror again, this time as he buttons his shirt and ties his tie, he forces himself to smile. His eyes look dead, but only to him. Anyway, if he continues moping around about how sad his life is, he’ll be late for breakfast with you, Jungkook and Namjoon.

 

You have soft songs set as your alarm, but it doesn’t make waking up any nicer. Once again, you didn’t quite get enough sleep. You reach out to turn it off before rolling straight back over and pressing your face into Jungkook’s side.

A week has passed since you kissed, and things are changing. You’re not together, but you’re spending more time together, and it’s just a little deeper than it was before. It feels natural, even though you know you’re closer than you would be under normal circumstances. Jungkook’s slept in your room a few times, too. Although it’s not really due to your romantic situation, but more to do with your nightmares.

The first night after seeing Suga dead, you had a little to drink. The nightmares didn’t come because you slept deeply. Since then, it’s been worse. Pretty much every night you’ve woken up screaming, seeing Suga, seeing Jimin, seeing V, seeing your parents. A few nights ago you saw Jungkook trying to save his parents from the fire, the beam falling on his leg… you see any number of the horrors in your mind. The only light in all of this is that Jungkook sometimes hears you. He doesn’t always sleep soundly, and his bedroom is just below yours so if he hears, he’ll instantly run into your room to comfort you. It’s not a routine you would ever choose for yourself, but at least there’s some kind of silver lining.

For the moment, you bask in the feeling of his warm skin under your fingertips, smiling into his chest when a clumsy hand reaches up to pat your hair out of his face. This is so beautiful, and these few minutes in the morning next to Jungkook almost make it worth the nightmares. Part of your mind wanders at this time, and you wonder if you’re in love with Jungkook. The notion feels so childish when you’re fully awake, like you’re 12 years old and insistent you love your 15 year old boyfriend with all of your heart, but right now it seems real. He’s only been back in your life for 2 weeks, but maybe you fell in love 5 years ago,

“No more nightmares?” Jungkook asks in the morning voice you’ve been hearing more and more of. Not that it’s made it any easier to not swoon over. It’s still the best thing you’ve ever heard, but you manage to respond without collapsing now. You nod, and press the smallest little kiss to his chest (you’re not sure he even notices) before getting up to shower.

You and Jungkook have fallen into a natural routine for when he comes up to your room. You shower while he grabs clothes from his room downstairs, then he showers in your shower while you get dressed, your brush your teeth together and then head out at the same time. The first morning he did this, he left shortly after you woke up but you didn’t like it. You felt too alone, too empty.

You understand now why Jin was so insistent you always had someone with you when you first arrived.

Maybe this is a little serious and a little too soon, with all it’s domesticity and sweetness, but when has this life ever taken things at a slow pace? You don’t get the luxury of time, and the luxury of taking things at your own pace. It’s very much ‘now or ever’.

 

Namjoon wakes up with a jolt, as has become a regular occurrence recently. It’s just minutes before his alarm, and he knows deep down that it’s a bad sign. It’s like he knows that something bad is going to happen, but it’s manifesting as a sick feeling in his stomach that ruins his sleep schedule and makes him feel shaky. He’ll find out what it is soon enough, he’s sure.

He also woke up last night, but that’s not so much to do with something bad coming as it was with the fact that you keep screaming in your sleep. Namjoon was going to go in to see you, but before he had his wits about him, he heard panicked footsteps racing up the stairs. It was Jungkook. Admittedly, Namjoon does not totally trust the boy, but it shouldn’t really matter when he cares for you so well. You’re happy, and that’s all that should matter.

But it’s not, because Namjoon can’t help but notice how you got so close so soon. He understands that things can be accelerated in this kind of life because everyone’s so aware that it could end at any moment, but it’s just too much to sit comfortably with Namjoon. It’s not that he doesn’t want you to be happy, he just wants to be sure that everyone is being honest. And with Jungkook being deceitful in the past two weeks, who can blame Namjoon for worrying? He’s just looking out for his little sister. It might just be that you knew each other before, but you can never be too safe.

Namjoon’s halfway out of his door when he realises that he got so lost in his thoughts that he forgot to shave. He sighs as he turns back, meaning he won’t be first down to breakfast like he prefers to be.

It’s Jin who enters the dining hall first, nodding to the staff members already sat down with bleary eyes, flicking through the paper or a news app as they eat. He smiles to himself, wondering how long it’s been since he’s beaten Namjoon to breakfast. Jin places the orders with the cooks before sitting down to check his phone without any interruptions. It’s quiet in here now the boss has arrived, all conversation ceasing in his presence. It’s probably better off that way. Jungkook was right when he told you that these men are worse than housewives when it comes to gossip. They were just talking about the strange relationship between Jungkook and yourself.

These ideas are only amplified in their heads when you and Jungkook fall into the dining room at the same time, looking suspiciously ruffled and out of breath for so early in the morning. Jin stands up, slamming a hand down on the table in outrage. His mind jumps straight to the worst conclusion, already thinking that Namjoon will have to help him get rid of Jungkook if he’s seducing you or whatever it is he’s trying to do. It’s a good thing that you speak when you do, or things might have been said that can’t be taken back,

“I told you I could beat you down here!” You cackle, nearly crying with laughter as you hit Jungkook’s chest playfully. He’d made a comment to you about whether or not you’d be able to keep up with the recruits on your day out today, so your natural response was to challenge him to a race. You’d sprinted down to the dining hall from your room, not forgetting to play a little dirty by slamming doors shut and shoving Jungkook out of the way.

Jin hums in disapproval as he sits down, but ultimately lets it go. Your smile is so bright that the curtains can stay shut, and Jungkook made it that way. He doesn’t want to kill him and take away your happiness,

“Where’s Namjoon?” You ask Jin as Jungkook pulls out your chair for you, ignoring his little outburst just then. The second the words leave your lips, however, Namjoon comes in, apologising for being late. He’s not actually late, so Jin simply waves it off. The food isn’t even here yet, so there’s no panic,

“Are your nightmares not going away, Y/N?” Namjoon asks gently, voice quiet enough so that the other group of staff don’t overhear. You appreciate the effort, but you see a head turn your way ever so slightly. It makes you blush, and you’re glad that the food comes in at that moment so you don’t have to respond. It’s honestly quite embarrassing, and you don’t want to talk about it too much. It makes you break out in a cold sweat,

“You know, we do have a fully qualified psychologist on-site. If you feel alone, or want someone to talk to, he’ll be perfectly happy to meet with you,” Jin suggests, gesturing his chopsticks in what you assume to be the general direction of this psychologists office. You scrunch up you nose at the thought, and Jungkook smiles slightly to himself. It’s cute,

“I’m not alone, Jin, I’ll be okay,” You tell him. Literally everyone in the room other than you notices the way that Jungkook looks at you. It’s like hearts bulge out of his eyes at the thought that he makes even a little of your pain go away, and it makes everyone that’s not the two of you feel just a little uncomfortable, like they’re intruding on a private moment. So Namjoon clears his throat (loudly) and asks you if you’re excited for your day.

You nod excitedly as you start eating. You’ve been working hard to pursue leadership, and you’re actually really good at it! You’re going a day trip today, both to test your own abilities and the progress that the recruits have made while working for the Kim Mafia. Well, technically Jungkook’s in charge, but you know he’ll let you do as much as you want. He can see genuine passion in you when you take charge, and it’s a beautiful thing. He cherishes it. Jin snorts when he sees the weather forecast,

“You’re not exactly dressed for it. I bought you some really expensive jumpers last week, what happened to them? It’s meant to be freezing today,” Jin snorts, and you blush so hard that you can’t reply. All you can do is mumble incoherently and look down - as much as you love your new clothes, Jungkook left a hoodie in your room a few nights ago, and now (by right) it belongs to you. You prefer it to all your others because it’s just a bit too big, it’s fluffy, it’s warm and it’s Jungkook’s. It just feels nicer to wear, and you can’t explain it. All Namjoon and Jin can do is roll their eyes at one another.

You finish breakfast quite quickly, and quickly rush to say goodbye to your brothers as Jungkook gets ready. You pat Jin’s hair and kiss Namjoon’s cheek - it really does personify how differently Namjoon and Jin portray themselves. Jin is completely untouchable, but Namjoon is a little more laid back. Both lethal, as the other workers see when the two men shoot glares at them for staring for too long. It’s just a little affection.

They wave you off, just barely seeing how Jungkook takes your hand as the door closes.

 

Namjoon and Jin retreat to the main office shortly after breakfast. Jin stands by the window as he watches you take control on the ground floor, loading up the cars properly. The seedling of pride blooms in his chest as he watches you blossom, finally feeling as if maybe his decisions aren’t all bad. At least you developed yourself as a person when you wound up caught in all of this.

But Jin can never just have a nice sit down or a chat with his best friend. They’re up here to discuss their concerns about you and Jungkook. It’s not that they don’t want you to be happy - it’s genuinely thrilling to see you so happy and complete - it’s just that you can never be too careful, and when two people feel uneasy about someone, it’s usually a good reason to start worrying. So that’s what they’re doing. They’re stood in Jin’s office worrying,

“It’s just that they’ve grown very close very quickly. She’s not the type to fall hard and fast for someone she just met, and did you see him take her hand? Y/N usually hates it when people who aren’t really close with her touch her. She says it invades her private bubble of space, but it clearly doesn’t matter when it’s Jungkook,” Namjoon hopes that didn’t sound as jealous as he though it did. Jealousy is genuinely not a motive, but worry is, “I just think maybe they knew each other in the past, and they’re not telling us,”

“I think you’re right, but surely she would have said something. If not to me, then to you. I know Y/N and I aren’t so close anymore, but I know the two of you are. If she’d had a love interest in the last 5 years, I’m sure you would’ve heard about it. And if they were just friends, why wouldn’t she have said something at first?” Jin questions. He’s not posing these questions to be difficult, it’s that he’s really trying to cover all bases,

“Not if she didn’t think it was important. She couldn’t have loved her time in America, so maybe she doesn’t think letting us know that she encountered Jungkook is important enough to drag up the old memories,” Namjoon suggests, but Jin doesn’t respond just yet. He needs to think of a way to approach this without hurting you.

The last thing Jin needs is to upset you by accusing you of consorting with the enemy.

Both men watch in silence as the cars drive out of the grounds in file, arms folded in a similar manner. Their thoughts wander through every possibility from the best case scenario and the worst, and Jin wonders if you’ll resent him for bringing it up. He doesn’t want to upset you, but he doesn’t suppose you’ll understand that he has your best interests at heart. Not that it matters. His main focus is your safety,

“I’ll talk to her when she gets back. We can all have dinner again if she doesn’t decide I’m wildly out of line for asking,” And Jin really means it. The second you get back, a lower ranking staff is waiting for you to usher you upstairs. You’re already irritated, due to the business-like feel of it. You’re Jin’s sister, not a failing employee, “How was your day?” Jin asks with a gentle smile when you come in. You tell him that it was fine, and that nothing went wrong, but when he nods you can tell he wasn’t listening because he doesn’t really care. He just asked out of courtesy, “Sorry for the formal setting, but I wanted to talk with you about Jungkook,” Jin continues, and you roll your eyes instantly,

“Please don’t give me the sex talk, or try to threaten his life indirectly. I don’t want to hear it,” You sigh, expecting that to be what follows. You know Jungkook and you were a little more flirty than normal that morning, but it’s only because it helps you forget your nightmares. Last night was especially bad.

Jin smiles grimly at you, silently wishing that it was something so simple. If only the only issue was you being safe in your relationship! But, of course, life doesn’t give Jin a break. That’s why he’s so tired. But it’s not time to give up yet, so he has to press on for your sake,

“Can you sit down?” He asks, and you look like you’re about to refuse when you suddenly slump down messily in a means of rebellion. You shoot a glare at him, but he barely notices, “How serious are you and Jungkook?” Jin probes, hoping to God his question doesn’t upset you. He needs to keep you on his side so he can work out exactly what’s going on. It’s as much for your safety as it is for the safety of everyone in the mansion,

“We’re not even dating!” You reply, hoping that didn’t sound as childish as it did when you heard it in your head. Maybe you’re just a little upset that Jungkook hasn’t approached the option of dating yet, despite the fact that you’re obviously into each other, “We’re just spending time together and enjoying the company,” You continue, like that’ll make it seem less huffy. To be perfectly honest, Jin couldn’t care less about why you’re not dating, he just needed to know how close the two of you are,

“Me and Namjoon are worried because of how fast you seem to be moving. It’s not a problem, but we suspect you might have a past with Jungkook that we’d like to know about,” Jin says, his voice calm and gentle. His main focus is getting this information, but he doesn’t want you to get upset and freak out. It won’t do either of you any good.

At Jin’s words, your heart seems to drop to your feet and it feels as if all the blood is drained from your body. Your mind races as you wonder how on earth he could know that, why he thinks it’s important, if it’s a bad thing and how you should respond,

“What do you mean?” You ask, trying to stay coy. Maybe it’ll make Jin back off and leave it alone. Something inside of you is telling you that knowing Jungkook before probably isn’t a good thing,

“I’m not an idiot. Please don’t lie or act like you have no clue what I mean. You’re not in trouble or anything like that. I just think it might be good to know,” Jin says gently. You’ll only be in trouble if you continue to lie. That’s the way it’s always been between the two of you,

“Okay, fine, whatever,” You sigh, kicking the carpet gently, “When I first moved to America, Jungkook moved in next to me. He helped me with my grief and comforted me but I don’t see why it’s any of your business,” Jin sits back, wondering what to make of it. It all seems just a little strange, like it doesn’t quite fit into the puzzle. Then he remembers something.

What was it J-Hope said to you? ‘We never forget faces’? Jin didn’t know why they would need to know your face unless they knew who you were, but maybe they did know who you were. Jimin might have told them that you were coming home, but that doesn’t quite seem right. He heard about the way Jimin protected you behind him, like he really didn’t want you to be seen.

Jimin never considered you a target, but perhaps J-Hope did. Maybe he’d originally signed you off as no threat, but you coming home changed that. But why weren’t you considered a threat before?

Then another memory of J-Hope comes back to Jin. He wasn’t even listening at the time, but now he can look back with a clear head. He said that you wanted to be touched and comforted by someone called ‘Jayden’. He called Jungkook ‘Jayden’. A sense of dread fills Jin, and his mind is cast to the unknown person in the assassination,

“Did Jungkook use a different name to introduce himself?” Jin asks, trying his hardest to keep his voice steady. You won’t like where the is going. However, you don’t even notice your brother’s struggles. You’re in shock, wondering if he has some psychic powers that you’re unaware of. How would he even know Jungkook would do that?

“What does it matter if he did? He told me he only used a different name because he was scared to get closer to people, he lost his parents too!” You say urgently, growing a little desperate. Jin’s talking to you like you did something wrong, but you didn’t! All you did was make a friend. It’s not like your big brother was there for you,

“Was it Jayden?” Jin asks, breathless. There’s a deafeningly silent pause before you reply,

“How the hell did you know that?” Anger courses through Jin’s veins as he stands up, wrenching the cabinet open to stare at his pinboard. His eyes don’t rest, looking at every piece of red string, every note and every photo. It’s scaring you, but he’s not responding to you when you call out his name. He’s too busy muttering things under his breath. You only catch fragments of it,

“The scout… missing link… young boy… let their guard down…” You’re desperate to slap some sense into him, but as you stand up to shout him into reality, Jin bolts. He only pauses to wrench a revolver out from under the couch cushions.

You’re feet feel like lead as you follow right behind Jin, dread and panic filling every ounce of you as you try not to think that he’s trying to find Jungkook. You refuse to imagine what his intentions are. Jin can’t be a killer, he’s your big brother. He’s not going to find Jungkook, you refuse to believe it, surely Jin wouldn’t fly off the handle like this for no reason… but then he kicks the lock of Jungkook’s door and storms in. He grabs his raven hair and throws him from the bed where he was sat to the floor. The picture of him and his parents falls from his grip,

“No!” You scream, not thinking as you grab Jin’s shoulder to pull him away. All you can see if him raising his gun, pointing it straight at Jungkook. It ignites a desperate fire within you, and it’s not dampened when Jin shoves you away, causing you to fall back with a thud. In fact, it only makes it burn brighter. You force yourself to get up, shoving past Jin to stand in front of Jungkook. Your lip quivers, but you don’t care.

Jin’s eyes are wild, wilder than they have been since he started killing. He looks terrifying, like he’s beyond saving but you can’t show that. Just like your brother, you’ve picked up your mask to hide your fear. Even when he growls for you to move, you shake your head jerkily.

Knelt behind you, Jungkook is shaking ever so slightly. He knew this day would come, but he never thought you’d be standing between him and his fate. A hand reaches up of its own accord to lightly touch your leg, just to remind you that he’s there. For now, Jungkook knows he can’t move. If he moves and attracts Jin’s attention, there’s a danger of you getting shot in the frenzy. Cowardice burns in his stomach painfully, but that’s okay. It’ll keep you alive longer,

“I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you, but you’d better point that damn thing somewhere else,” You demand, body and voice shaking with both anger and horror. You wish you’d never had to see your brother like this,

“No, he needs to die. He doesn’t deserve to live, he’s not good enough for it!” Jin shouts, voice rising in volume with every word. The tears slip from your eyes as you see he’s truly gone. That’s not your brother anymore, this man is crazy,

“You’re not God!” You say frantically, feeling yourself lose your own grip, “You can’t decide that, you don’t get to choose who lives and dies!” Jin doesn’t like that, and the next thing you know, he’s jammed the gun into your stomach hard, and tears are swimming in your eyes. His face, twisted with anger, becomes blurred,

“Yes I do, I decide because he gave up the right to life when he manipulated our parents like he manipulated you!” And then he cocks the gun. A cry leaves your lip, a guttural sob, because this is really happening. Your brother is going to kill you.

Jungkook’s shifting behind you, and he’s going to do something. Blindly, you reach to stop him. You push his head back, and Jungkook curses. You’re too headstrong and now it really is going to get you killed,

“He didn’t manipulate me!” You scream, face flushing as you accept your fate, “He didn’t manipulate me because I love him, and if you want to kill him you can damn well kill me too! Do it!” You roar straight into Jin’s face, grabbing his wrist and jamming the gun further into his stomach, putting your noses an inch from each other. If this is happening, he can look you in the eye while he does it,

“Y/N, get down!” Namjoon yells, tackling Jin at the same moment that you act. You throw your arms around Jungkook’s neck, covering his body with yours. You hear Namjoon and Jin hit the floor and it’s like it’s all in slow motion when Jungkook’s arms grab your waist and flip the two of you around, exposing his back to Jin.

Then the gunshot sounds.

It rings in the silence for a few moments before Jin’s voice cuts through the room, sickeningly creepy,

“Two,”


	11. Chapter 11 (Finale)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin finally finishes his investigation.

Everything hurts. It’s been hours, and the pain has only spread from your heart through your whole body. Your back hurts from the uncomfortable chair you’re sat in, your eyes hurt from crying too much and your head hurts for the same reason. Your body is stiff because you haven’t moved in a long time. Namjoon has long since given up trying to console you, so he’s retreated to the main office where Jin is. He’s trying to work out what the hell just happened.

You weren’t responding to Namjoon, but that didn’t mean you didn’t want him around. It’s not your fault, you’re just shell-shocked. Seeing Jin like that had really scared you, and what happened to Jungkook… you’re just genuinely scared of everything in your life right now. It’s awful to think that just yesterday your biggest worry was a bad nightmare.

Behind the doors to the hospital wing - which is exactly what you’re sat in front of - Jungkook is laid out. He might never wake up. You heard the doctors barking orders to each other. When the doctors who deal with bullet wounds and worse on a near-daily basis start panicking, you know it’s time to join them.

You fall asleep at some point towards 4am, and it’s in the same position you’ve been in since Namjoon took you down to the hospital wing. You’re curled up on one of the waiting chairs because you’re not allowed in. Jungkook’s that bad. Sleep is restless for you, and you can feel yourself about to slip into a nightmare when someone wakes you up.

It’s a kind faced doctor. His hair is dark, but his face is the opposite. He looks like a genuinely friendly person, with a smile on his face. The sweetest dimples sit either side of his lips, so you don’t hesitate to go with him when he ushers you up, patiently waiting for your limbs to get used to it. He keeps a gentle hand on your elbow to support you as he guides you through to what you assume to be his office.

A smile doesn’t quite crack your features, but it does internally. It barely looks like a doctor’s office. There are children’s drawing on the wall by his desk, pictures on every surface and a bookcase not filled with textbooks, but novels and photo albums. There’s also a sink in the corner, with a biscuit tin and a kettle by it. It doesn’t even smell clinical. It smells homely, and your muscles relax as you lower yourself onto the couch in the corner,

“Do you want anything? Herbal tea? A biscuit? Some water?” The man asks, pausing between each suggestion to give you time to speak up. You nod at the mention of water, and just moments later he’s pressing a cup of iced water into your hand.

He doesn’t sit behind his desk like you expected him to, instead sitting down right next to you on the couch. There’s a cup of tea in his hands, and this almost feels like the two of you are catching up as old friends. It’s vaguely comforting,

“I’m Doctor Zhang, but you’re welcome to call me Yixing if you’d rather,” The man tells you, and you nod vaguely. You think you recognise the name, but you don’t know right now. Your brain hurts, “I’m really sorry to have to do this, but Mr Jeon doesn’t have an emergency contact. You’re the closest thing to a trusted family member that he has, so I’ll share the information about his current condition,”

Well, the doctor said his ‘current condition’ which must be a good sign. If he was dead, surely he would have lead with that, right? Hope fills your heart little by little, until the doctor reaches for your free hand. You don’t mind him doing it - you feel very at ease around this man, and you know he won’t hurt you - it’s just that it means bad news is coming,

“Jungkook is alive, as I’m sure you know,” He tells you, gripping your hand firmly. His thumb moves across your skin comfortingly, and you nod in agreement. It’s good to have it confirmed, but your chest is tight about what the ‘but’ is going to be, “But he’s not in a good way. We’re very worried, so we’ve slipped him into a coma for the time being,” At the mention of the word ‘coma’, the world seems to go dark around the edges. Doctor Zhang’s eyes widen in worry, and he quickly takes your glass from your hand to help you lay back.

Your breathing is shallow and a little forced as you lay back, barely registering how the doctor sheds his lab coat and folds in to rest under your head. His eyes scan your face, and he presses the back of his hand to your forehead. You’re cold, but nothing too serious. You probably just need some more water and some food. It’s likely the shock that’s got you so weak,

“It’s just for a little while,” Doctor Zhang assures you, kneeling down next to you and lowering his voice, “It’s only because we want him to have the best chance at healing. But you should be prepared now, we don’t know the long term damage he may suffer with. The bullet hit his spinal cord, so it’s hard to predict. He may well end up partially paralysed, or even fully paralysed, for life,”

This time you really do pass out.

 

Namjoon can’t even bring himself to look at Jin when he walks in. If Namjoon had any idea how off the hinge Jin was, and that he was looking for a reason to kill Jungkook, he would have never brought up his concerns! The last thing he wants is for you to hurt, but that seems to be your default state recently,

“Why would you do that?” Namjoon asks with barely concealed rage. There’s no way the older man doesn’t know the disgust Namjoon has simmering just below the surface, so he doesn’t even know why he’s bothering to try and be respectful. He doesn’t deserve it. Namjoon leans forward to put his head in his hands, trying to stop it pounding. He’s so beyond exhausted that he zones out, unable to track how much time passes in silence before Jin speaks,

“Suga has a magic number. I tracked past assassinations he oversaw, and those his parents did, and they all had magic numbers. If his mother planned an operation, she used 3 men. His father used 5. He used 4. Right in the middle, so I knew exactly how many people I was looking for. I killed Jimin, V, J-Hope and then the man himself. That’s 3 workers, not including him. I always knew there was one more,”

Jin shifts in his desk chair, but Namjoon doesn’t move. His muscles tense at how calm Jin sounds. He hasn’t even asked about Jungkook’s condition,

“My parents must have relaxed that night, or have been distracted enough to be unaware of their network going dead and their guards being taken out. I’ve long since suspected that there was a child of some sort present to draw the attention. Y/N and Jungkook met in America, and he was likely sent there as a spy to see if she was going to be an issue for Suga’s gang. If he trusted the boy for that, he trusted him that night. Jungkook was sent to lower my parent’s guard,”

“You’re grasping at straws, Seokjin,” Namjoon snaps. He can’t believe this is the man he’d list as he most trusted friend, “You broke your sister’s heart for no reason- no, don’t scoff at me!” Namjoon’s voice rises as he stands up, irritated by the way Jin dismissed that claim, “She hasn’t left the hospital wing since I took her down. You know, she passed out when Yixing told her he might be paralysed!” Jin shakes his head and looks away from Namjoon,

“The scum deserves it. He was involved, I just know it,” Jin mutters. He does feel bad that it’s affected you so severely, but it’s collateral damage. Namjoon curses under his breath before pushing his hair back and turning to the door,

“Whatever. Think what you want and do what you want. Just know that she won’t ever forgive you for this, and neither will I. She isn’t the only one who’s fond of that kid,” And then Jin’s left alone again.

Silence rings in his ears as he realises that he can finally rest now. He can finally leave this business and close his investigation after 5 long years. He just has one last thing left to do.

 

After your talk with Doctor Zhang (well, after you’ve come to) he takes you through to see Jungkook. It’s terrifying to walk through those doors with your only comfort being a doctor you hardly know standing behind you to catch you if you fall back. You do stumble a little seeing Jungkook in such a state. He’s hooked up to all manner of machines, looking sickly pale and weak. Just yesterday afternoon he was running around and laughing, stealing kisses and feeding you lunch,

“Kookie,” You whimper, a shaky finger reaching out to stroke the side of his face. It’s not cold to the touch like you were expecting, but it wouldn’t be, really. He’s not dead. Just close to it. It’s wrong to see him like this, breathing through a machine and being unable to open his eyes. That’s what you want. You want to look deep into his eyes while he tells you that he’s okay. It’s not going to happen though,

“I know this isn’t ideal, but I promise it’s for the best. He’ll heal better this way, and hopefully start physiotherapy to help things get back to normal,” Doctor Zhang assures you, after giving you a few moments privacy. He’s checked over Jungkook’s vitals, and they’re stable. That’s a good sign. You nod vaguely, too absorbed in the sight of Jungkook to notice how the doctor hesitates before speaking, “Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?” He asks, and you jolt in shock, looking at him strangely, “I promise I’m not a freak who wants to smell your hair or anything, I can just see that you’re struggling. I actually knew you when you were younger. I’ve been the organisation’s doctor for a long time,” He continues, and you nod, tears already welling up in your eyes.

You cry yourself out in Doctor Zhang’s arms, and he doesn’t even complain at you slightly ruining his soft sweater. He helps you sit down and gets you another glass of water, holding your hand in both of his while you watch Jungkook,

“You know, some coma patients report being able to hear people who were talking to them. It might be worth coming down to talk to him while he’s like this, so he doesn’t get too bored,” The doctor suggests, and you nod silently. It’s definitely something to consider since you don’t feel like working. The recruits will be fine without you.

Doctor Zhang bumbles around for a bit, not pressuring you to talk to him, but providing much needed company. He pats your shoulder twice before letting himself out, reminding you that he’ll just be a few doors down if you need anything. He’s nice, and leaves you with a dimpled smile before closing the doors. And then, you and Jungkook are alone. Doctor Zhang’s words about coma patients come back to you as tears trickle down your face,

“Hey,” You whisper. You pause, as if Jungkook’s going to reply, “I love you. It seems so stupid and young, but God, Jungkook, I love you! I realised it when Jin was going to kill you. I can’t live in a world without you, so I was really willing to get shot because you don’t deserve this,” You sniffle, and laugh ironically, “You’re so stupid for pulling me out the way. I hate that you think you’re all heroic, screw your gender roles,” If Jungkook can hear you, he’ll appreciate the humour. You lean down to press your lips to his hands gently, “I was thinking-“ But you’re cut off by the sound of a gunshot.

 

_Namjoon,_

_Please don’t tell Y/N that Jungkook was involved in our parent’s death. Let her love him, and let her know that I’m sorry. She didn’t deserve any of this, and I wish I could’ve seen her grow up. I sent her away for her safety, but I think I did more bad than good by doing that. At least she met Jungkook._

_I’m sorry you’ve had to come across me this way, but I’ve been planning this for 5 years. I’m tired, Namjoon, there’s no other way to put it. I wanted to quit quickly and easily and this was the only way. Please do with the final two bullets what you did with the other four. I know it may be hard, but it’s my final wish. I want my investigation to be complete._

_Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You helped me through the most difficult time in my life, and I never told you. I know it’s too late now, but at least I can rest in peace knowing that I told you at least once._

_I’ve been planning this note for 5 years, but I still don’t know what to say. You’re my best friend, and I only hope that you will hold true to your promise to look after Y/N. Thank you, Namjoon. I love you._

_Kim Seokjin._

 

_Y/N,_

_God, this is hard. I’m sorry for my handwriting, my hand is shaking. I can’t believe this time has finally come and you have to get through the world on your own. Well, not on your own. You have your Namjoon and you have your Jungkook, and they are some good people. Don’t let them go._

_I left you a locket. Namjoon should have it, and if he hasn’t given it to you, he needs to. I bought it for you to remember me by, even though you probably hate me right now. There’s a picture of Mum and Dad, and me and Namjoon. I’m sorry that there’s only one person left in that locket that’s alive, but I hope you can hold it close to your heart. Every person in there loves you so much._

_You know about my investigation, and you know our parents died. I never told you why, but you’re all grown up now. You deserve to know, and you need to know why I would rather Namjoon take over the gang than you. It’s because of who they were as people. We’ve always run a humane mafia, one that people come to for favours. It nearly ran Suga out of business, and he was angry. He wanted them gone, assuming killing the leaders would collapse it._

_Of course, it didn’t, as you know._

_Let Namjoon take over as the boss, so you’re never a target as our parents were. Please, let him care for you in the way I never did._

_I’m sorry this is happening, and that you don’t know everything. Namjoon will help you through this and tell you everything you want to know. Ask him anything. He’ll take care of you, and help you gather up a normal life away from all of this. I hope you and Jungkook are happy, if he does live another day. You deserve that much at the very least._

_I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, so I hope you don’t think it’s selfish. I just can’t handle the guilt. I can’t help but feel that if I’d been there that night, it would’ve been different and maybe we wouldn’t have lost our parents. Maybe you would’ve grown up with a real family. I’m sorry._

_I’m also sorry about how I’ve been acting these last two weeks. My head’s been all over the place, and honestly it still is. I hope this makes sense, and I’m sorry but I can’t write anymore._

_I love you so much, and I am so proud of you._

_Please get out of this life while you still can,_

_Your big brother, Jin._

 

Jungkook woke up after… some amount of time. Looking back, it’s hard to know. You were so out of it after the last bullet that time seems to blur into itself. You had nightmares - bad ones - but they leaked into the day, and nobody came to help you. There was no help, because living in a nightmare and living awake were no different.

Jungkook isn’t paralysed for life. He’s going to have great difficulty learning to walk again, and it will never not be painful but Doctor Zhang tells you that it’ll be okay. He’ll be treated for chronic pain after he can walk again. That might be a while though.

His progress is slow, but only because he was insistent that he wanted to start physiotherapy before he was 100% healed. Doctor Zhang describes him as ‘mostly there’. As for you, your healing is much slower. Take Jungkook’s situation for example. You know you should be excited that he’s getting better, and you want to be, but you can’t quite manage it. There’s a black emptiness in you that screams to be felt at all times.

You meet with Doctor Zhang as often as you feel you need, and he’s trying his best to help you cope but you know you’ll never quite be the same. This lifestyle has ruined everything for you.

It took your ‘nearly brother’, Jimin. It took your first friend in this mansion, V. It took Jungkook’s legs. It took the lives of two star-crossed lovers, no matter how crazy. It took Namjoon’s smile. It took your big brother.

Reading your brother’s suicide note was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do, but it’s still in your bedside table. You haven’t taken the locket off since Namjoon gave it to you, even though it makes you cry to look at. You want to be furious with Jin for everything he did, but you can’t do it. He was sick, and he needed help. At first you blamed Namjoon for not seeing that, but you read over the note so many times that you couldn’t help but realise that Jin never wanted help. He’s been wanting to die for 5 years.

 

Namjoon cleaned up Jin’s office, and then you cornered it off. For a year since his death, nobody has been allowed in there. You forbid anyone from even going into the corridor. Sometimes you would sit outside it to try and remember a time where you still had your brother, but those times have passed as you forced yourself to move on. Doctor Zhang encouraged you to go into the office to break the taboo in your mind over it, but it’s been too much for you to handle.

But today is the anniversary of Jin’s death, and you want to see his office.

So much has happened over the last year. Jungkook can walk again, although he still takes pain medication and needs crutches most of the time. You’re in a relationship too, and you sleep in the same bed at night. He’s trying to help you heal as well, but you know you won’t heal like he will. You shut yourself off a long time ago, picking up the mask your brother dropped.

Despite Jin’s written protests, you took over as boss in this business. Between Jin’s death and when you stepped up, Namjoon was in the position of ‘big boss’, but he doesn’t have any legal rights to the organisation. He knew that, and even though he hated the idea of you being in charge, it’s your family business. Nobody could stop you.

Namjoon and Jungkook both act as your right hand men, and they do a good job of it.

The door to Jin’s office looks the same. You’re not sure why you expected it to look different since nobody’s been allowed to touch it, but you’re still surprised. It still has his name on it, and that hurts. Seeing your brother’s name, but knowing he’ll never use it again…

You push the door open hesitantly, and the hinges creak after so long without use. Already you’re struggling to breathe. It smells like Jin, and you can just picture him turning around in his chair to talk to you, but he won’t ever do that again. Instead, you’re staring at the place where he killed himself and forcing yourself to walk in.

There’s a small glass display case set on his desk, as per his final request. It hurts to look at it, but maybe if you just stared a little longer it won’t be so hard. Tears swim in your eyes and blur your vision, but you force yourself to open the case and run your finger over the bullet shell, and look at the names.

6 – Park Jimin

5 – Kim Taehyung

4 – Jung Hoseok

3 – Min Yoongi

2 – Jeon Jungkook

1 – Kim Seokjin

“One,” You whisper, your fingers lingering over your brother’s name even after all this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! If you want to read more of my stuff, you can mind me [here](https://taehyungiejiminie95.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. You can also find me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/taehyungiejiminie95/) and [Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/taetaejiminie95) through those links. If you want, you can also commission me, for which you can find the rules [here](https://taehyungiejiminie95.tumblr.com/post/175847774630/commissions). Thanks again, have a great day!


End file.
